Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso say they have studied Pyramids FC in detail and know them very well ahead of today’s CAF Champions League final first-leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Sundowns host the first leg at 15h00 before the return leg in Cairo, on the 1st of June.
Cardoso will personally be looking for redemption after he lost last year’s final against Al Ahly while head coach of Esperance.
The Portuguese coach believes Masandawana have done their homework on Pyramids , and players are ready to execute on the field.
“By one side, the sense of responsibility of playing a final of a competition like this one is obviously very important moment for everybody in the club, for the group, for the staff, for the group of coaches, for the group of players, for the management of the club, for the fans,” Cardoso told the media.
“So, obviously that sense of responsibility regarding giving to all these people what they want. At the same time, there’s a big, big sense of proudness.
“Happiness of knowing that we made a long way into arriving in the final. And that we are among the two best teams in the season in the continent.
“But at the same time obviously, there’s a group of people that is more close to me – I speak about the players of course – that understand that is the moment that we live, that is the moment that we do and being able to do obliges me as a coach to give them as much tools as possible to have a chance to prepare properly.
“We are speaking about the first game, the first game is what we have ahead and whatever happens, changes obviously the second half of this game.
“And in this first-half, we obviously have to try to make it the best possible. And it’s important that we understand the best strategy to play the game, how the opponent will watch the best they have in order to hurt us and how to prevent it and obviously how we can produce that much in the opponent.
“Knowing them very well, we studied them, we know them, and we are passing that information for the players in the way we think is important to do. So that they can also manage in the moments of the game.”
Written by: Diski Voice
