Cardoso Unfazed By History As Sundowns Prepare For Al Hilal Clash
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is focused on writing new history as the Brazilians prepare to face Al Hilal in the highly anticipated CAF Champions League group stage clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday.
This will be the seventh meeting between these two sides in the Champions League, with Sundowns holding a significant advantage, having won four times previously.
The last two encounters ended in draws, with the most recent match being a 0-0 stalemate in Sudan in March 2023 under the guidance of Rulani Mokwena, who has since moved on to coach MC Alger in Algeria.
However, Cardoso is not placing too much emphasis on the past; instead, he focuses on the present and what his team can achieve.
“No, not really, and I have to confess that we don’t look for the history,” Cardoso said.
“History belongs to the past; the only history that we need to worry about is that we need to write.
“When we prepare for the match, we never refer to the past except for what the team has been doing in the last few months. So, obviously, we went on to see their previous Champions League matches and even league games as well.”
The Portuguese mentor has personal experience of facing Al Hilal, having played against them two years ago when he was at Esperance.
“I played against this team two years ago when I was at Esperance in the group stage, and we won 1-0 in a very difficult game with another coach,” Cardoso added.
“Only a few players are still there, so there’s lots of movement, and Dennis (Onyango) just said that this team understands each other very well.
“I think the coach of Al Hilal has an attacking mentality, and it’s a coach who wants to win. Against MC Alger at home, they played very well, and they were very competitive.
“But Mamelodi Sundowns is not MC Alger the way we play, so we will play our normal game, and we know what we’re capable of and what we can do.
“The past speaks for the past, as I said, so tomorrow (on Friday) we will write our own history, and let’s hope it’s a similar one to the previous encounters.
“But for us to write a good history, we have to work hard because if we don’t do that, then we’ll not make it.”
Al Hilal are currently leading the group with four points, while Sundowns are in second place with the same number of points. The winner of this match could potentially take the lead in the group.
Another game of this group will take place on Sunday between MC Alger and Lupopo in DR Congo, where both teams will be looking for their first victory in the group stage
