Sundowns brace for hostile test as Cardoso targets key Champions League win

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says the finer margins will be decisive in determining the winner of their CAF Champions League clash against MC Alger at the Ali la Pointe Stadium in Douera on Friday night (9pm kick-off).

The Brazilians go into the encounter on the back of a strong start to the group phase, having claimed a 3–1 victory over Saint Eloi Lupopo, and they will hope to build on the disappointment suffered by the Algerian side after their 2–1 loss to Sudan’s Al Hilal in their opening match.

Sundowns are chasing a seventh successive qualification to the knockout stages, but more importantly, they are determined to enforce their status as one of Africa’s premier footballing forces. 

With ambitions of securing only their second Champions League title, a win against one of the most challenging sides to visit in this competition would set them up well for the rest of the campaign.

A fierce atmosphere is likely to await the South African champions, and emotions could be heightened as they face their former coach Rulani Mokwena, who is under pressure to respond after his team’s defeat on match day one. Mokwena and his charges will look to draw confidence from their unbeaten run in the Algerian league as they aim to rebound from that setback.

The tactical duel between the two coaches will not be unfamiliar, as they faced each other previously in this competition when Cardoso was with Esperance de Tunis and Mokwena was still at Sundowns. With both having insight into one another’s style, Cardoso believes the smallest moments will shape the outcome.

“The match will have a lot of intensity and we need to be ready for it,” Cardoso said ahead of the game.

“It will be a match played by two big teams and it will be a match of details and the team that will find the details in their favour will take advantage in this clash.

“It will be important to go through the match with concentration and understand that there will be different moments as both teams like to dominate and that is how they set up in their domestic competitions.

“The team is ready, and it has grown in the last few months and they have been waiting for this moment. It’s a Champions League match and it will be an opportunity to show ourselves in a wonderful context.”

MC Alger, who boast one of the most passionate fan bases in Algerian football, are expected to pack out the stadium, creating a highly charged environment. But Cardoso is confident his side have enough continental experience to handle the intensity and must take full advantage of the chance to enter the international break in a strong position.

“What I expect is that the match will be intense in an environment that will be intense, an environment which can see the best players that express themselves become better.

“We see the opponent that we are going to face as a high level of motivation. I have experienced a lot of such environments during my time in Tunisia and we have a lot of Champions League experience around North Africa and we love it.

“We will be going into the international break with the Africa Cup of Nations coming up and that is why we will try to get the best result possible so that we can go into the break as best positioned as we can.”