In Saturday afternoon’s Betway Premiership rematch between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, two teams with a long history on the field will square off in a sold-out Lucas Moripe Stadium.
After extending their advantage on top of the log in a smash-and-grab match against Sekhukhune United in Polokwane, Masandawana’s attention is now on what could be an exciting encounter with the Soweto-based team.Coach Miguel Cardoso said his team has been working hard to secure the most points in this upcoming match, even though they are playing a ton of games this season.
He stated, “We arrived from Polokwane at three in the morning on Thursday, and the focus has been on recovery, getting back some energy, and preparing for Kaizer Chiefs in so little time. We will, however, try to cope with all these variants and try to naturally approach the match with a great mindset to compete in the game.”
Coach Miguel will be facing Amakhosi for the first time, despite the fact that the two teams have previously faced each other twice this season. The Portugal-based tactician stated that this match will be handled the same as the others, even if he is aware of his team’s running domination against Chiefs. “I recognize the rivalry between the two teams, but every game is equally important,” he stated. We will approach this game in the same manner as we did the previous one and the one against Sekhukhune United.
Coach Miguel has predicted that his team would face the Glamour Boys on Saturday with the same strategy as their Kaizer Chiefs colleagues, and because of the intensity of the rivalry, he also expects a tough matchup.
He won’t likely alter his overall strategy for the game, in my opinion. He may strategically modify some ideas, and we can modify ourselves as well. He’s not just any young man coaching football for the first time. I regard him with respect. He’s preparing for the club’s future, so he knows what he’s doing and wants to build his team,” coach Miguel said.
As he put it, “These games have different contexts. They bring something different. They highlight the best of the team and the best of the players, which is why there’s always so much excitement for these teams. But sometimes these games aren’t the best ones or technically well-played matches. With Pirates, it wasn’t a beautiful match, but it was a competitive match with a lot of tactical things happening during the match. So, that’s what I expect also from this match,” he said.
