‘Nothing To Win, A Lot To Lose’ – Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has highlighted his familiarity with Angolan football ahead of the club’s CAF Champions League second preliminary round first-leg clash against Wiliete SC.

The Chloorkop-based side will take on Wiliete at Estádio Nacional da Tundavala on Sunday, looking to secure a positive result ahead of the return leg in South Africa.

The encounter will mark the first meeting between the two sides. Both teams head into the match in good form, with Wiliete yet to suffer a defeat in the Angolan top flight this season.

Meanwhile, the defending champions have already secured two trophies this season and will be eager to continue their impressive run by moving a step closer to the Champions League group stage.

Cardoso believes his knowledge of Angolan football will help his side prepare for the challenge, having followed the country’s football scene through his connections with Portuguese coaches working there.

“Obviously, as I said before, I know Angolan football very well because there are a lot of Portuguese coaches who have been coaching in Angola over the seasons, years and decades, including recently,” Cardoso said.

“The current coach of Petro and one of Petro Luanda’s previous coaches are both close personal friends of mine. As a Portuguese person, naturally, we have connections with Angola, so we always follow this championship in Portugal.

“But Mamelodi Sundowns are a club operating at a high level, so we also follow everything that happens in Africa in general. We know very well what is happening in Angola. We know the football, the qualities and the technical abilities of their players. We also know that this team has been growing in the right direction under good leadership.”

Cardoso acknowledged that Sundowns would be expected to win, but insisted that his team would not underestimate their opponents.

“For us, the intention is simply to be ourselves and perform to the best of our abilities,” he added.

“We know that we need to step up and take responsibility. It is what we usually call a match where there is nothing to win but a lot to lose, because everybody thinks the game is already decided. But we do not think so. We take it very seriously.

“We understand how tough it will be to play this qualifying round against Wiliete. That is why we have prepared for this match as if it were a Champions League final, a group-stage match or even the final itself. We have approached it with the same level of commitment, study, reflection and analysis.”

Cardoso, who guided Sundowns to the Champions League title last season, said his team had worked hard to develop the right mentality ahead of the encounter.

“We have tried to instil the right mindset and attitude in the boys so that we can get closer to achieving what we want. Obviously, it is clear that we want to reach the group stage and establish ourselves in the competition once again, after reaching two finals in a row and winning the competition once in the last two years.”