Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena feels they are prepared to face TP Mazembe where they ended their 13-year unbeaten run in Lubumbashi back in 2021.
Sundowns arrive against the three-time Champions League winners for their second group game after easing past Nouadhibou at home last week.
The African Football League champions arrive brimming with confidence knowing they’re the only team to beat Mazembe at home in the Champions League in 13 years.
“We can have the information and of course that is the responsibility of us, the coaches,” Mokwena said when asked if his technical knowledge of Mazembe means they will win.
“Everything I say here is based on preparation, hour and hours we go into to watch Mazembe games, they have played some high profile games; Esperance in the AFL, they played a very good game against Pyramids.
“And we watched a couple of games in the league so we understand the number one thing is to come here and be prepared because coming here can be daunting, the atmosphere, the hostility created by the supporters, means that we have to be well prepared, preparation eliminates fear.
“It’s not about knowing about how to beat Mazembe it’s about performing to beat Mazembe tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Maboe suggested the confidence brimming in the squad means they believe they can win again, despite downplaying the favourites tag from the media.
“It gives you a good feeling coming back from a win you know, but I think as the coach said, it’s based on how you perform on the day, the team that performs better wins the game, but we’re prepared for the game tomorrow,” Maboe said.
“The targets we set as a team… we have big ambitions as a team, and we know Mazembe are a very good team [tough to play against] especially with their home crowd but I think we have a very good team to win the game as well.”
The two sides meet tomorrow at the Stade TP Mazembe at 15h00.
