Polokwane City coach Phuti Mohafe is not pleased that his side will face Mamelodi Sundowns twice within two weeks in the Betway Premiership.

The Limpopo-based team recently defeated Sundowns by a narrow margin at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium and will now face them again at Loftus Stadium on Wednesday.

The original schedule had the second leg against Sundowns slated for 8 February at Loftus Stadium. However, due to CAF Champions League commitments for Sundowns and the delayed start of the Betway Premiership, the fixture was brought forward.

Orlando Pirates also faced a similar situation, playing two matches against Richards Bay within a short period.

Mohafe expressed his concerns about facing Sundowns twice in quick succession, especially after their dominant 4-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs.

“For me, it is not a good thing to play Sundowns in such a short space of time,” Mohafe told Sportswire. 

“Because we are going to play a different ball game altogether. They will be coming at us guns blazing, but we will try to absorb whatever that is coming in at us and we are going to compete.  

“We are here in this league to compete. So, whatever that comes, we have to face it.”  

Polokwane’s strategy for the first leg involved taking advantage of the smaller pitch at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, which disrupted Sundowns’ usual style of play. However, the upcoming match at Loftus Stadium will favor Sundowns.

“It is a different environment,” Mohafe acknowledged.

“Because when we watched Sundowns play against Royal AM, they were playing a flawing football and they will have players like Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Khuliso Mudau back.  

“So, it is going to be tough for us. But we will go there to compete.”  

Despite the challenges, Polokwane has an advantage in terms of rest, as they did not have a match over the weekend due to the Carling Knockout quarter-finals. Mohafe rested key players like Thabang Matuludi and Manuel Kambala in the win over Royal AM midweek last week to ensure they are fresh for the Sundowns match.