Mosimane likens Sundowns' fixtures to a balloon payment on a car

14 September 2017 - 13:32

By Mahlatse Mphahlele

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is targeting a clean sheet when they take on Moroccan side Wydad Athletic in a Caf Champions League quarter-final‚ first leg‚ clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Mosimane said stopping Wydad from kissing the back of the net would be the best result for the Brazilians and this would enable them to hit the road to Casablanca next week with a massive advantage.

“The worst ever result you can think for us this weekend is that if we don’t score they mustn’t score‚" he said.

"If it’s a draw‚ it must never be a draw with goals.

"Why do you want people to score here at home?

"You get punished all the time when people score against you at home.”

Throughout the tournament‚ Sundowns have performed admirably on the road and Mosimane is confident that he has a team capable of getting a win in Morocco.

“We have a team to play an away game because we do well in away games.

"I would like to see Sundowns score and not concede here at home.

"We played in Kinshasa and there were 53 000 people in the stadium‚ we went to Addis Ababa and a stadium of 15 000 was packed.

"Esperance in Tunis you get an easy 45 000.

"We went to Alexandria and they get big crowds - those are games we never lost.”

Mosimane also said that they leave on Monday for the return leg in Morocco and they will stay in North Africa in anticipation of a semi-finals first leg clash which is likely to be against USM Alger of Algeria on September 29.

Sundowns plan of staying in Morocco may be thrown into chaos if favourites USM Alger lose to Clube Ferroviario da Beira over the two legs‚ which would mean the semifinal‚ first leg‚ would take place in Mozambique.

“I believe that USM Alger will beat the Mozambican side Clube Ferroviario but you know football‚" he said.

"We have applied for two visas‚ we have booked to stay for the next two weeks and that the way it is.

"If I don’t book‚ what am I saying to the players?

"We have a positive mentality around the team and we believe that we will make it to the semi-final.

"That’s why the PSL postponed our game which is good but it catches up with you later.

"It’s like a balloon payment on a car‚ you pay less monthly but at the end you have to pay large amount.

"I saw that balloon payment when we came back from the Fifa Club World Cup‚ we were second from the bottom and we ran out of steam in the end.”