Mamelodi Sundowns have done their homework ahead of Saturday’s Caf Champions League semi-final tie against Angola’s Petro de Luanda.
Downs co-coach Rhulani Mokwena has named Ricardo Job Estévão, Jaredi Teixeira, Adriano ‘Yano’ Nicolau, William Soarez and Pedro ‘Megue’ Miguel as the players they should watch when they take on Petro at the Estadio 11 de Novembro.
“We are playing a good side here, Petro, with some good players. Very experienced players like Job, the number 11, Jaredi, the number 29, the number 9 in front, and Yano, [is an] imposing box striker who is always looking to finish. Soarez, the defensive midfielder, the number 5 [are] strong, aggressive, and the number 14 Megue,” Mokwena said in his pre-match conference.
Interestingly, he added that the Angolans played football “the way [Sundowns] believe the game should be played”. “Strong, a very good opponent that plays the game the way we believe football should be played in a certain way that has a similar identity. They build from the back, look to press at the top, they look to dominate the game,” he added.
He said their focus is to win the game to be in a better position ahead of the second leg.
“We know what’s at stake and what lies ahead; ours is not just to put the final preparations, but to be more specific in our fine-tuning of our games, to be able to give ourselves a chance to be in South Africa in the second leg with an opportunity to progress to the semi-finals.”
