Mamelodi Sundowns’ CAF Pursuit - Coach Highlights Injuries and Lowers Expectations

The coach confirmed long-term injury victims Mothobi Mvala andThemba Zwane are back in training but would not feature in the tie against ES Tunis: “Themba and Mothobi are preparing normal with the group and now we’re preparing to give them stimulus of games. 

“They should not participate in official games before they don’t have the chance to play a friendly.”

“There will be a friendly match where they will play against a team that we invite to come play with us. This is so you understand the process of bringing players back, not only in training sessions but also bringing them back on the level which they can perform on the pitch.” 

The coach also confirmed the absences of Siyabonga Mabena, Rivaldo Coetzee and Aubrey Modiba.

Prior to the big CAF match on the horizon, the Sundowns coach said that not winning the CAF Champions League is not a failure. The experienced mentor was seemingly looking to lower expectations. 

He said: “In the end there’s two teams who play in the final and only one winner – I don’t feel that teams that don’t win the Champions League, are teams that fail. Last season we didn’t win the Champions League when I was coaching Esperance, but I didn’t feel at all that I failed, or the team failed.

“What I mean is that we know we want to bring something more for this club, we really want to bring something more for this club and we know that everything has been done to have the conditions to succeed in this competition and go as far as possible.”

He elaborated further on the matter, adding: “It’s important we look at sports in the way that it should be looked, not all the teams that are unsuccessful in the qualifying rounds are bad, a good team will get knocked out. 

“Esperance is a good team with experience in the Champions, as is Sundowns a very good team with players who want to succeed.

“We fight as strong as possible to go far away as possible in the competition. Sometimes it’s a thin line of details that makes the result fall for one side or the other.”