As Mamelodi Sundowns’ grueling schedule continues, midfielder Bathusi Aubaas admits they’ve had very little time to prepare for their match against Sekhukhune United.

Sundowns will host Lehlohonolo Seema’s side at Loftus Stadium on Tuesday (19:30) for a DStv Premiership match. However, Sundowns is expected to field a new lineup as they prepare to host ES Esperance in the second leg of the CAF Champions League at the same venue on Friday.

Rulani Mokwena’s side narrowly lost 1-0 to the Tunisian side in the first leg on Saturday. They’ll be looking to overturn the score and reach the final for the first time since winning the tournament in 2016.

After returning from Tunisia on Sunday, the players underwent regeneration at night. Due to the limited training time available, coach Mokwena might not have been able to implement specific match preparation strategies.

“We arrived, did our regeneration and recovery, following the team protocols,” said Aubaas, who joined Sundowns from TS Galaxy during the offseason.

“Obviously, time isn’t on our side. We needed that recovery and regeneration, but I believe we’re ready for the game.”

Aubaas started the match against Esperance as Teboho Mokoena was sidelined with a grade two hamstring injury, as announced by the club.

“I think we simply don’t have time,” Aubaas added. “On Monday, we were busy with video analysis and then went into camp.”

Sundowns face a Sekhukhune side that’s been performing well under coach Seema, who was recently named Coach of the Month. Their captain, Linda Mntambo, also received the Player of the Month award.

Sekhukhune currently sits fourth in the table with 39 points after 24 matches, having played three more games than Sundowns. Their morale is likely to be high after defeating bottom-placed Cape Town Spurs 1-0 on Saturday.

“They’ve been playing well as a team,” cautioned Aubaas. “A player like Linda Mntambo has been impressive since returning from injury, and rightfully earned Player of the Month. Their coach also received the Coach of the Month award. We can’t underestimate them. We’ll approach the game as Mamelodi Sundowns, focused on doing our job, which is to win.”

Sundowns previously beat Sekhukhune 2-1 in the first game of the season back in August, a match that saw both Rivaldo Coetzee and Vusi Mncube sent off in Polokwane.

Picture courtesy of Mamelodi Sundowns