Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has reacted to facing Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the African Football League [AFL] semi-finals.
This comes after Bafana Ba Style booked their spot in the CAF AFL semi-finals after beating Petro de Luanda of Angola 2-0 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Al Ahly advanced to the semis on the away goal rule having played out to a 1-1 draw with Simba SC of Tanzania on Wednesday in the second leg which resulted in a 3-3 scoreline on aggregate. The first leg ended 2-2 at Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium last Friday.
Now, Masandawana will lock horns with the Egyptian powerhouse at home on Sunday, 29 October for the semi-final first-leg clash.
The second leg will be played on Wednesday, 1 November in Egypt. The kick-off times for both legs are yet to be confirmed.
RULANI MOKWENA ON FACING AL AHLY
However, Mokwena is unfazed by the high expectations of facing the Red Devils in the semi-finals.
“The Al Ahly fixture is interesting. It’s always interesting because it has got a lot, it’s two very good teams [facing each other],” said Mokwena.
“Of course, they have got very good players. I watched a little bit of their game they played away in Tanzania which ended 2-2.
“They have got a special kid [Percy Tau] that I love so dearly. So, I’m excited to see what happens.”
The 36-year-old mentor went on to say that they leave everything in the field of play to make sure they get fruitful results.
“It should be a very interesting game. We will do our best to always try to win,” he added.
HOW MAMELODI SUNDOWNS PLAN TO APPROACH BUSY SCHEDULE
With Sundowns having progressed to the semi-finals, Mokwena highlighted how they plan to navigate their busy schedule.
“We are trying our level best to try to focus on one game at a time. We understand the schedule but we are trying to go one game at a time and try to assist the players and their performances,” explained Mokwena.
“Our focus is more on recovery. I’m less of a coach and trainer, but more than of a manager trying to manage the players and that’s the space that we are operating.”
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