Remo Stars head coach Tiago Conde has made a bold prediction about Mamelodi Sundowns’ chase for the CAF Champions League title following the conclusion of the Preliminary Round.
Sundowns advanced to the group stages of the Champions League following their commanding 7-1 win on aggregate over Remo Stars. The Brazilians beat the Nigerian club 5-1 in the first-leg of the Champions League second preliminary rounds in an away match.
In the return leg, Sundowns claimed a 2-0 win at Loftus Versfeld Stadium to progress into the next stage of the competition. The reigning Betway Premiership champions are aiming to take their Champions League ambitions a notch higher and win it after reaching the final last season.
Sundowns lost 3-1 on aggregate in a two-legged final against Egyptian side Pyramids FC, who lifted their first-ever continental trophy. Meanwhile, the Tshwane giants are also eager to win the Champions League for the first time since winning it back in 2016 under the guidance of Pitso Mosimane.
In the current campaign of the Champions League, Masandawana began their journey in the second preliminary round after sitting out of the first round.
WHAT REMO STARS COACH SAID ABOUT SUNDOWNS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHASE
Having outclassed Remo Stars to march on in the tournament, the opposition coach, Tiago Conde, has tipped Sundowns as favourites to win the Champions League.
“I’m expecting that Mamelodi Sundowns will be among three or four teams that will have the capacity to win this competition,” Conde said.
“I cannot see more teams with the type capacity they have; they have a mixture of African players, Brazilian players, Portuguese players, and the Portuguese coach. So in the CAF, I’m expecting that they can be champions, I cannot bet but in the quarter-final and semi-final, they will be there with another three teams. If they get to the semi-final, they will have a chance to be in the final and win it.”
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