Magesi FC head coach Clinton Larsen has rebuffed the notion that facing Mamelodi Sundowns players, who were on national team duty, gives them a slight advantage in the Carling Knock Cup final.
Eight players from Sundowns were part of Bafana Bafana as they concluded their final two 2025 AFCON Qualifiers campaign against Uganda and South Sudan while Magesi had a bit of time off.
Ahead of the CKO final on Saturday in Bloemfontein, Larsen says he is under no illusion that being busy will have any negative effect on his opponents who are used to playing more than once a week on a regular.
“I disagree 1000% [that Magesi have a slight advantage],” Larsen responded to iDiski Times.
“Sundowns for the last 10 years have mastered the art of playing every three days and they have been winning, so what’s going to change this time around?
Larsen also maintained that Dikwena Tṧa Meetse will carry the same mentality in the final against what he said feels like the national team.
“We’ll go into this game with the same positivity that anything can happen,” added Larsen.
“You know we are up against a formidable opponent. It feels like we are actually playing the national team because last night I watched six starters from Sundowns in the national team and a few on the bench.
Join the iDiski Times WhatsApp Channel for all latest SA football news directly to your phone.
“And if you look at [Marcelo] Allende, [Lucas] Ribeiro and [Peter] Shalulile had they been South African, they’d have probably been in the national team too.
“So, you are not just playing Sundowns, it’s like you are playing against the national team and that’s what makes this challenge all the more exciting for us as a club.”
