Mamelodi Sundowns will have to ‘create as many scoring chances as possible and get the ball in the net,’ insisted Coach Manqoba Mngqithi in the Carling Knockout Cup press conference, as they aim to complete a hugely positive Carling Knockout Cup run by defeating Magesi FC in the final.
The Brazilians stride to Bloemfontein again on Saturday evening, looking to lift the silverware for the fifth time, having surged strongly through the competition. After defeating Lamontville Golden Arrows in the first round, Bafana Ba Style went on to see off Kaizer Chiefs in the quarterfinal. They cruised through to the final after defeating Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday at Chloorkop, coach Manqoba looked ahead to the crunch final, stating that they have prepared well for this mouthwatering encounter.
“In the absence of the best, I would say the preparations are going very well. We don’t have the whole squad in our matchday -3 training session because of their involvement in international activities. With our group, the preparations have gone well. The players look eager and interested to participate in this important match, and I think everything is going according to plan,” he said.
Presenting the last obstacle is a Magesi FC side Coach Manqoba’s charges have not met this season but are weary of, looking at their current streak in all competitions.
The Masandawana coach outlined how his men will need to dig deep to get the desired results and achieve their objective. He continued stating that they are weary of the danger their opponent poses and have posed to other teams to get to the final.
“Because I have respect for every opponent and I’m always scared of the opponents that are not favoured, I try to dig as deep as I can, look at every individual and know their team probably more than I know my team sometimes. As it is now, I can tell you the starting XI and the potential substitutes they can play in this match. I know the players that will give us a hard time, and we know what to expect. We just have to be focused and keep our levels of motivation at the right level because games like these are very difficult,” the coach stated.
“For me, goals are the determining factor of the result, and thus, we should be targeting to make sure that we play to score as many goals as possible. If we say we are better than the opponent, it should be because we can score more goals than them. I don’t think possession will be enough without creating a lot of scoring opportunities,” he continued.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born tactician concluded by highlighting the importance of his men winning the cup final and what it would mean for them, especially as they are about to embark on their CAF Champions League campaign.
“I think this win for me would probably be the same as any other win we have had in every match that we have played because I never want to downplay or hype any match because in football. I’ve learnt that you must just respect every match as it is, regardless of the level of the competition or match. It’s very important to develop habits of trying to win every match that you play because it helps you not to deal with issues, whether they are extrinsic or intrinsic in terms of motivation. That helps because that habit would help us go into a Champions League match with a little bit more confidence and desire. So, it will be important for us to win this game,” he concluded.
Mamelodi Sundowns will meet Magesi FC in a crunch final on Saturday evening at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. Kick-off has been scheduled for 18H00, live on SuperSport TV.
SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.
