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HomeCAF Champions LeagueCardoso - Any Team Who Does That Will Have Bad Times

Cardoso – Any Team Who Does That Will Have Bad Times

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has played down the notion that there’s no favourites tag that was perceived to weigh on the club in the CAF Champions League.

Sundowns have not gone beyond the semi-final in the competition since winning the trophy in 2016, this after reaching the group stage for 10 seasons consecutively, with four quarter-final exits, three semi-final exits, and one group stage exit as they head to the Last-8 again this season.

“I can understand [thinking there’s less pressure], but any club that doesn’t take Sundowns or any club in the next round seriously will [have] bad times for sure, so it’s on us or any other one, all teams are strong,” he said.

“Yesterday, we were discussing with ourselves, who on the table is not strong from the teams who have progressed, who? It’s clear if you had to choose, it’s quite difficult, maybe one or two teams can be at a higher level, but the rest are quite similar.

“And each of them with their own details, if you asked me to choose one to play against, there would be a group of them in the pot – what I think is that Sundowns is doing well, growing, strong – as we proved. 

“We played a tough game in Maniema, where nobody won and we won, we played Raja home and won, we played Raja away and were drawing and then had to play a second half with minus one player.”

Cardoso says his tenure, that began over a month ago has nothing to do with what has transpired in the past and to an extent with the entire coaching staff of the 2016 triumph now gone – it could represent a new dawn for the club.

Sundowns have not been at their fluent best, but suggestions are, there’s no longer that target on their back, but Cardoso says it’s not about the favourites, it’s about the minor details that separate the winners and losers in Africa’s elite club competition.

“Since I arrived here, things are going well and the past? I have nothing to do with it, I shouldn’t comment because of not aware of that hoodoo, I don’t want to comment, we’ve done our steps, the knockout stage will be different.

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“It’s details, last year we drew with ASEC Mimosas [with Esperance] and had a record of passing, we outclassed them completely but drew 0-0, then we went to play away in terrible conditions in Ivory Coast and won on penalties.

“We then played Sundowns and past them, in a dramatic game here [at Loftus] and we could have lost, we then went to the final, and conceded a penalty two minutes before the game – eventually if it wasn’t given, we could have been champions.

“So, the Champions League is details – I believe we will be very strong in this competition and as much as we prepare ourselves in the championship, in the moment of the next game we will be strong, that’s what we need to focus on, let’s think game after game.”

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