Mamelodi Sundowns legend Teko Modise has sent a warning to the Brazilians players ahead of their meeting with Wydad Casablanca on Saturday night.
Wydad and Masandawana will renew their rivalry in the CAF Champions League semi-final first-leg in the Moroccan giants’ backyard Stade Mohammed V at 9 pm.
The Tshwane giants have won three, drawn three and lost four of the ten matches they have played with the defending champions before. In some of those, Modise was part of the team before he switched to Cape Town City.
He has warned Rulani Mokwena’s men of a possible punishment if they let emotions play the match. He believes being emotional during the game may lead to unnecessary overthinking.
TEKO MODISE SENDS WARNING TO SUNDOWNS PLAYERS
“It’s one of those games where if you’re too personal, if you’re too emotional, you’re going to be punished,” he said in the Sundowns’ The Pitchside Podcast.
“You’re not playing the game, the emotions are playing the game. I think it’s one of those games where there’s the same approach [as in previous games], maybe a little bit higher, same character, maybe a little bit higher as when you played Al Ahly away, same arrogance on the ball.
“Play your game, let the fans be against the team not against you.
“It’s so important to go into the match and play the match. That’s the most important thing.
“Once you involve emotions, you start overthinking [unnecessary things]. In football, there’s no time to think, it comes naturally cause your talent always is gonna show up, you need to play the game.
“Don’t think, when something comes, you know exactly what you gonna do, you don’t think about it.
He also lauded Sundowns’ troops for having shown character in their previous games in the competition. However, he went on to call for improvement in that element of the game.
“And I think it’s one of those games where whoever is gonna play whether is Neo Maema in that midfield or Lebo [Maboe], [Marcelo] Allende, irrespective of who it is, we need 80% of the guys that will start the game to show character…which they have shown [before],” he added.
“But they must continue because we’re only gonna be satisfied when we have lifted this trophy. Other than that, we will speak about the performances and the improvements that we need to do.
“But I think it’s high time that with a team that Mamelodi Sundowns, to solidify the dominance they have been having.”
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