Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has addressed his troops being labelled as ‘favourites’ to win the highly-anticipated clash against Kaizer Chiefs.
‘The Brazilians’ will face Chiefs in the pulsating Betway Premiership match at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday at 15:30.
Sundowns are coming to the encounter against ‘Amakhosi’ at the back of claiming a 4-2 win over Sekhukhune United at the Old Peter Mokaba in Polokwane on Wednesday.
The three points away from home gave Sundowns a 15-point lead at the summit of the log standings, moving closer to clinching their eighth league title in a row. So far, the Tshwane giants have collected 51 points in 19 league matches, while Orlando Pirates are in second place with 36 points in 15 games.
On the other hand, Chiefs have been struggling to find a consistent winning form in the current campaign as they occupy eighth position on the league table.
Having lost their last game 4-1 against SuperSport United on the 18th of February, Chiefs will be looking to bounce back against Sundowns.
WHAT MIGUEL CARDOSO SAID ABOUT THE ‘FAVOURITES’ TAG AGAINST CHIEFS
With the Tshwane-based outfit seemingly on an upward trajectory, they have been labelled hot-favourites to win against Chiefs.
However, Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says they don’t accept the ‘favourites’ tag because it can have a negative impact on the players.
“First of all, if I take my position and don’t understand it as a lack of ambition because, with me, there is never a lack of ambition, but if I would take the point of favourites in this match, I would be passing down the negative energy to my players,” Cardoso said.
“I don’t accept that; there are no favourites when the whistle [game] starts. Players[just] need to go there [onto the pitch] and show whatever they have to show, and at the end, that’s where you say you’re favourites, not before, that doesn’t exist.
“So the right attitude [is important] from the very beginning because if you go to sleep, I always say 100% can win you everything and 99% you can lose everything. So, that one per cent, I don’t allow my players to lose.
“If I allow it, it will give me discomfort, and that’s why sometimes I get emotionally stable because I need to always have my players at their limit without pressure, just making them understand how they need to be on a regular basis.”
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