Rulani Keeps Expectations Realistic Ahead Of Sundowns Clash
MC Alger coach Rulani Mokwena has played down whether being the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach could give him an advantage to overcome the Brazilians or not in their CAF Champions League group stage encounter at Alila Pointe Stadium in Algeria on Friday evening.
This will be the first time Mokwena has come up against Sundowns since he left the club in 2024, and he did not manage to face the Brazilians last season when he was at Wydad Casablanca, as the Moroccan side was not in this competition.
When asked if his experience as the former Sundowns coach would give him an advantage in the match, Mokwena was quick to dismiss the idea.
“I don’t think that being the former Sundowns coach will be an advantage for me to win this game because at the end of the day it’s players who play,” he said.
“But the coaching that is influencing my past has zero influence on this game because the game of football belongs to the players; the players know I say this to them, and we give them the information as we always train them.”
This will be the second game for each team, as Alger lost their opening game against the Sudanese side Al Hilal last weekend away from home. Sundowns, on the other hand, won their first game against Lupopo at home last weekend.
When asked about the significance of beating Sundowns in terms of winning the group, Mokwena was cautious in his response.
“No, you cannot say this – beating Sundowns will not mean we will win this group – there’s no trophy or competition that has been won in November,” he added.
“The message inside the camp is that we want to improve and be better in every game.
“After every training or match, we want to be better, and regardless of who we face, hopefully, in May, we will be in a position to compete for this title.”
This will be the last game of the year for both Alger and Sundowns, as they will take a break for the AFCON 2025 that is set to take place from December to January 2026. Algeria and Bafana Bafana will also be participating in the competition.
In the same group, Al Hilal will travel to DR Congo to face Lupopo on Sunday, adding another layer of competition to the already intense matchup between MC Alger and
Sundowns.
