Why Sundowns’ Cardoso dreams of Pirates clash in CAF CL final
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained why he dreams of a CAF Champions League final against Orlando Pirates, with both teams in the quarterfinal stages of the competition.
Sundowns welcome Esperance of Tunisia at the Loftus Stadium on Tuesday afternoon [15h00], while Pirates visit MC Alger of Algeria.
The two South African giants can only face each other in the final of the 2024/25 Champions League, following the quarterfinals draw that kept them apart.
If Pirates win their match against Alger, they will face the winner of the clash between Pyramids and AS FAR, with the first leg being played at home. Should Sundowns defeat Esperance this time, they will meet Al Ahly or Al Hilal, with the first semifinal taking place in South Africa.
‘I WANT TO PLAY THE FINAL AGAINST PIRATES’ – CARDOSO OF SUNDOWNS
“I want to play the final of the Champions League against Pirates,” explained Cardoso. “Because I’m so pleased that people who love football come to the stadium. They fill our stadium and help us to be strong.
“And people who support Mamelodi Sundowns make them [players] feel heard during the match, so that we also get the energy that teams from South Africa get when they play at home.”
“We love those ambiences. We really love those ambiences. Those ambiances should also highlight the best of the players. So that’s also something we’d like to have so that we can indeed feel that excitement because a Champions League match is not any match. It’s something else. And the ambience you can put in the stadium can help us, obviously, to get a little bit of extra energy in the moments that we need for it.”
He urged football fans, regardless of their allegiance, to come to the stadium and support South Africa’s representatives.
“I really ask our fans, our supporters, our people that love football in South Africa, not necessarily those that love Mamelodi Sundowns [to come in numbers]. I also want the other teams in South Africa to succeed. I want to see Stellenbosch in the final of the Confederation Cup.”
Sundowns have opened the game for free entry to fans wearing yellow.
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