Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies coach Godfrey Sapula says he knows if his side is to qualify for this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals, they are going to have to beat the best.
His sentiments come as his side qualified for the semi-finals of the COSAFA qualifiers currently on-going in Botswana where they have set-up a semi-final clash with hosts and defending champions Gaborone United on Thursday.
- ALSO READ: Sundowns Ladies Wrap Up Group Stage With Perfect Record
- Sapula – What We Still Need To Do At CWCL COSAFA Qualifiers
Sapula says Sundowns will give their opponents respect because they know their pedigree however won’t park their own ambitions.
“This is a CAF Champions League qualifier in the COSAFA region so it means that you got to beat the best if you want to be the one that is representing the COSAFA region at CAF Champions League,” said Sapula.
“We give respect to Gaborone I mean they are the defending champions. It means they also have the pedigree. So we’re going to give respect to them but again we are also driven by our own ambitions and targets as I said.
“We’re going to respect them but we also want to do well and make sure that we give ourselves a chance. We are going to respect them and try to prepare the best way possible, so that we can again try to have a very strong match.”
Meanwhile, Sundowns won all their group stage matches scoring 15 goals and conceding just one. Sapula who fielded a brand new 11 in the last group game against Mozambican side Costa Do Sol credited proper preparation for how he’s been able to tap into the side’s depth.
“I think we give credit to the preparations,” he added.
“We knew that when we had players going to WAFCON, we needed to prepare very well with the other players, so that when we need to refresh the team, we have players that are also ready as what happened today with a new fresh starting 11.
“But the team was still strong, we were able to play strong and get maximum points. But it talks about the team spirit, the unity of players really fighting for each other. The spirit is really good. For us the first objective obviously achieved, which is to win all the three games in the group to move to the next stage. But we take this with humility and we are going to keep our feet on the ground and to make sure that we still prepare for the semi-final because it’s just one part achieved.”
Did you know that the iDiski Times Digital Newspaper is completely free! Download it now by clicking the button below or fill in the form to have it sent to you every week.