“Sundowns Play At Full Force For The League” – Zwane Gives Arrows MTN8 Hope
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane believes Mamelodi Sundowns’ focus on the Betway Premiership and CAF Champions League makes them particularly difficult to beat in those competitions — something that could give Golden Arrows an advantage in the MTN8 second semi-final.
Sundowns will look to overturn their 1-0 deficit against Arrows, who beat them 1-0 at Lucas Moripe Stadium last weekend in the first leg.
Sundowns have struggled in domestic cup competitions, with the MTN8, Nedbank Cup and Carling Knockout proving difficult to conquer, while they have continued to assert themselves in the Betway Premiership and CAF Champions League.
Zwane pointed to Sundowns’ team selection, highlighting the difference between the side that faced Golden Arrows over the weekend and the one that started against AmaZulu. He suggested that Sundowns tend to bring back their strongest available players for key league and Champions League fixtures.
“Look, you can see that Sundowns prioritise certain games,” said Zwane.
“I would say the Champions League. Last season, you could see the target was the Champions League. This season, the target is the Champions League and the league. When it comes to the league and Champions League, Sundowns play games at full force. You look at the team that played against Golden Arrows over the weekend, and then you look at the team that played against us. Do you get what I mean?
“It’s probably the fourth time now whenever we meet Sundowns, they come from a situation like this where they come with all their best players available for selection. But we needed to show that it doesn’t matter who they play. It’s 11 versus 11 on the field, and we really wanted to give our best to secure positive results. It wasn’t to be.”
Usuthu will look to pick themselves up when they face KwaZulu-Natal rivals Richards Bay at Princess Magogo Stadium next Friday.
“The only worrying factor from my side, or our side, is how we conceded certain goals. Maybe I can take the first two goals, but the other three in the second half, I think we could have done better in terms of defending. We were just poor at the back,” he added.
