Mamelodi Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba says the club has drawn a line under the postponement of their Betway Premiership opener against Marumo Gallants and are now fully focused on Saturday’s MTN8 quarter-final against Polokwane City.
Sundowns’ opening league fixture was postponed at the club’s request following the passing of teammate Jayden Adams. While the Brazilians would have preferred to begin their league campaign alongside the rest of the division, Modiba said the circumstances meant football had to take a back seat.
“We would have loved to play because we don’t want to be playing catch-up,” Modiba said.
“Other teams are already collecting points, and for us that’s not ideal. But there was nothing we could do because of the situation. We had to accept it and focus on the MTN8.”
The postponement has given the reigning African champions extra time to prepare for their opening competitive fixture of the season against Polokwane City, with Modiba revealing that watching Rise and Shine in action has provided valuable information ahead of the knockout encounter.
“They’ve already played, so that gives us something to analyse,” he said.
“They’ve got a new coach and have brought in new players as well. That game helped us look at their strengths and weaknesses going into our match.”
The 31-year-old believes the extra preparation could work in the Brazilians’ favour, as Polokwane City have had limited opportunities to assess Miguel Cardoso’s side in competitive action this season.
“They don’t know a lot about us this season. They know us as players, but hopefully that can play to our advantage.”
Despite missing out on the chance to collect three early league points, Modiba insists the squad has moved on from the postponement and is solely focused on booking a place in the MTN8 semi-finals.
“We would have loved to play, but that’s now a closed book. Our full focus is on the MTN8 and making sure we’re ready for the challenge against Polokwane City on Saturday.”
Written by: Sandile Ndumo
