Young Africans SC winger Mahlatse Makudubela says they shouldn’t be focused on the quality of Mamelodi Sundowns and made a promise ahead of the second leg CAF Champions League quarter-final on Friday.
Makudubela, 34, returns to South Africa with the Tanzanian giants with the last-eight tie on a knife edge after the 0-0 draw in Dar es Salaam.
In the build-up to the clash, much has been talked about Sundowns as title favourites due to their incredible quality and depth they possess, which was showcased in midweek when they were able to make 11 changes and beat Richards Bay 1-0 in the league.
“I think we should be talking more about the quality Young Africans has, in each and every FIFA break we have about 11 to 13 players reporting for national duties, to their respective countries,” ‘Skudu’ said when asked about the challenge of Sundowns’ star-studded squad.
“We have Djigui Diarra who was one of the greatest goalkeepers in Africa, when you speak about [Khalid] Aucho leading his national team you can also speak about the rest of the experience and quality we have within our team all over the country.
“Big ups to the technical team that’s doing a very good job with the quality of the players that’s within the team.”
The former Sundowns development player said they know they coming in as underdogs but are up for the challenge.
“With all due respect to Mamelodi Sundowns, they are a powerhouse of Africa, their history speaks volumes with themselves, but as the coach said we come as underdogs to showcase what we can do,” he said.
“What we can promise is determination, the same work ethic and enthusiasm we showed in Dar es Salaam – we’re going to continue with that, nothing more, nothing less.
“As coach said it’s a difficult match, the game is 0-0 and there’s a lot stake, it feels good to be back home playing against Mamelodi Sundowns – we’re looking forward to a very exciting encounter.”
The two sides meet tomorrow at 20h00 at Loftus Versfeld for a place in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 Champions League.
