Sundowns Plan To Reset Against AmaZulu Following Arrows Setback

Mamelodi Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba says the African champions are determined to respond against AmaZulu and avoid consecutive defeats when they return to Betway Premiership action.

The Brazilians head into Wednesday’s encounter at Loftus Versfeld Stadium looking to put their disappointing MTN8 semi-final first-leg defeat to Golden Arrows behind them and return to winning ways in the league.

Sundowns suffered a 1-0 defeat to Abafana Besthende in the semi-final first leg at home after conceding before half-time, with Golden Arrows doing enough to protect their lead and secure a valuable victory.

With Sundowns now turning their attention to the Betway Premiership, Modiba stressed the importance of learning from the defeat while making an immediate response.

“Playing AmaZulu is never easy, surely, in every game,” Modiba said.

“Right now, I think we need to shift our focus to the league. Obviously, we’re disappointed with the loss against Arrows, but we have to take the positives from that game and carry them into the Betway Premiership.

“It’s a different competition from the MTN8, so we have to move on, learn from the defeat and focus on the next challenge.

“At Sundowns, we always try to avoid consecutive losses, and we’re going to give our best to bounce back and collect points.”

The 31-year-old also highlighted the importance of Sundowns maintaining their impressive home form, particularly as they continue their league campaign in front of their supporters at Loftus.

The Brazilians are currently on a remarkable 31-game unbeaten run at home in the league. Their last home league defeat came in the final fixture of the 2023/24 campaign against Cape Town City.

Sundowns have also surpassed Kaizer Chiefs’ previous record of 29 consecutive unbeaten home league matches, which stood until April 2014.

For Modiba, collecting maximum points at home could prove crucial in determining how successful Sundowns are in the league.

“I think it’s important to do well at home, because if you can collect as many points as possible at home, you stand a good chance of doing well in the league,” he added.

“It’s another game at home, in front of our supporters. They always come out in numbers, especially at Loftus. We can hear them singing all the time, and our performances are always better.

“Our last Betway Premiership game at home, the performance was good, and hopefully we can match that going into the next game.

“AmaZulu are a very good team, a tough team, but we’re also a good team. The coaches will put together a team that is going to do well on the day, and hopefully get the maximum points.”

With the disappointment of the MTN8 defeat still fresh, Sundowns now have an opportunity to respond immediately and get their league campaign back on track.