After a narrow, last-minute defeat to Polokwane City, Mamelodi Sundowns are gearing up to redeem themselves when they face Cape Town City at Loftus Stadium on Wednesday (19:30), a formidable and familiar rival with a reputation for spoiling unbeaten records.

“We expect a tough game, a very competitive team, made good signings this season, they might not have had the best start, but we know their qualities. We must also bring our A game,” previewed Kekana.

Sundowns go into this game with the final whistle from their previous match still ringing loudly in their heads. They succumbed to Bulelani Nikani’s last-minute goal in an away match against Polokwane City on Sunday, ending their unbeaten start to the Betway Premiership. Notwithstanding the loss, Kekana revealed their intentions to bounce back in their next match.

“I think we are doing fine, obviously still hurt a bit by the loss over the weekend, but we’ll be looking to improve on that performance going into the City game,” revealed Kekana.

They face City who have had their fair share of disappointments early in the season. They have won only one of their four league matches, lost one, and drew two, including an underwhelming stalemate against a newly promoted Magesi. 

But Kekana is still very cognizant of their capabilities despite a difficult start.

“We know their qualities; we know the type of players that they possess. So, they are still a very good team who pose a lot of threat. We need to be wary of that on our side, but we also have to come and show qualities and make sure that they don’t block us from achieving our goals,” he added.

Sundowns, in the previous season, were on the brink of making history as the first South African team to win the league without losing a single match. However, their bridge to glory collapsed in the hands of Eric Tinkler’s City who beat them with a solitary goal in the last match of the league. 

While this is very fresh in their minds, Kekana does not think it will be their motivation when they meet, their efforts will be self-inspired.

“I think our motivation is coming from us. We know what’s expected from us, we know what’s expected every time we go on the pitch which is to deliver good results for Mamelodi Sundowns and didn’t deliver that in the last game and we’ll be looking to deliver that coming into this game,” Kekana promised.

As they look to bounce back, Sundowns are focused on maintaining their high standards, with Kekana insisting their drive is fuelled from within. The clash against City offers a chance for Sundowns to get back on track and reassert their dominance in the Betway Premiership. However, by the time Sundowns play on Wednesday, they might be six points behind log leaders Orlando Pirates.