Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has stressed that their CAF Champions League second preliminary round clash against Remo Stars is a must-win encounter.

Sundowns have travelled to Nigeria to prepare for the first leg of the tie, which will take place at the 20,000-seater Gateway Stadium on Sunday [17:00].

Cardoso’s side has endured a shaky start to the 2025/26 campaign, having been knocked out of both the Carling Knockout Cup and the MTN8 tournament.

The CAF Champions League presents another opportunity for the Brazilians to pursue their first piece of silverware this season, after falling short to Pyramids FC in last season’s final.

“For us, Mamelodi Sundowns with the past that we have in the competition, being already a team with one star, being the finalist of the last edition, obviously for us this is a must make job and task,” said Cardoso.

“But that doesn’t take anything out of the respect that we have for the opponent. We know the value of Nigerian football, we know the value of Remo Stars, we know the value of the players of Remo Stars, and we know how hard they will fight for their objective. But we have to put our best in the pitch, we have to put our best.

“But from the first minute of the first match until the last minute of the second one, and that is only with that kind of attitude, that eventually we will be able to do the job, because if we don’t take it seriously that way, and this has nothing to do with the fact that Bafana Bafana played the Nigeria national team. This is another story, this is Sundowns vs Remo Stars, it’s a club competition.

“There is absolutely nothing to do, the players are not the same, so there are no players on the pitch that played before, so this is a new story that we need to write in the best way. We have the script and we have to do it well.”

Cardoso further stated that the outcome of the game will be dictated by the quality of football they display on the field of play.

“Any results that will happen inside the pitch or any results on these two qualifying matches will happen due to the effort and the quality put into the pitch by the two teams,” Cardoso stated.

“I think that is the focus that we need to have, not thinking about how the matches are going to stay. That is the story to be written by the quality of football we can put in the pitch throughout the two matches.”