Ex-Bafana Bafana midfielder Delron Buckley has explained why his former club, Borussia Dortmund, might struggle against Mamelodi Sundowns when the two teams meet in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Bafana Ba Style will lock horns with the Bundesliga giants in their second game of Group F at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, 21 June 2025. The tie will kick off at 18:00 [SA time].
Sundowns are currently placed top of Group F with three points following their 1-0 win over Ulsan HD FC in their first match of the tournament this past Wednesday.
Following the Chloorkop-based outfit’s 1-0 win over Ulsan HD, the Betway Premiership champions earned an extra R36 million, topping the R174 million the club will receive for participating in the Club World Cup.
DELRON BUCKLEY ON WHAT COULD WORK FOR MAMELODI SUNDOWNS AGAINST BORUSSIA DORTMUND
The 47-year-old retired footballer stated that the hot weather in the United States of America could work to Sundowns’ advantage over the eight-time Bundesliga champions.
He insists that Sundowns’ familiarity with humid conditions, similar to those in South Africa and across the African continent, will give them an edge over a Dortmund side unaccustomed to such weather.
“You know, if they [Mamelodi Sundowns] can leave the country [South Africa] and go play somewhere else in Africa, nothing can stop them in America. They are used to this environment,” Buckley told SoccerBeat.
“So for them, it won’t affect them now in America, where you have high humidity and it’s hot. For Sundowns, it is normal, which I think Dortmund is going to have a problem with.
“You know, we South Africans can run in the sun nonstop. It can be 35 degrees Celsius, and we would still play and run. So, I think that the advantage Sundowns have.
“The quality of Sundowns’ technical players who can control the ball and play dead balls into spaces. Of course, the intelligence of the whole team is something Dortmund will need to pay attention to; if they don’t, it will cause trouble for them.”
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