Wydad ‘are smarter than us’‚ admits Sundowns coach Mosimane

18 January 2019 - 11:09 By Mark Gleeson
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Wydad Casablanca's players celebrate after winning the CAF Champions League final football match between Egypt's Al-Ahly and Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on November 4, 2017, at Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Wydad Casablanca's players celebrate after winning the CAF Champions League final football match between Egypt's Al-Ahly and Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on November 4, 2017, at Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Image: FADEL SENNA / AFP/ File photo

For a third successive year Mamelodi Sundowns find Wydad Casablanca of Morocco looming large directly ahead of them as a potential stumbling block in the Caf Champions League.

The Premier Soccer League champions host Wydad at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Saturday (kickoff 9pm) in their second Group A game needing a win to get their campaign on track after losing away in Nigeria last weekend.

But Sundowns‚ who did not make it out of the group phase last year‚ know they are in for a tough time.

“They know how to win a match‚ they know how to get a result here‚ they know how to get a point here. They stole a point from us last year but we beat them the year before‚” ” said coach Pitso Mosimane as he looked ahead to the clash.

In 2017‚ when Sundowns were defending champions‚ they beat the Casablanca club 1-0 at home in the quarterfinal‚ only to lose the return by the same scoreline and then go out on post-match penalties. Wydad went on to be crowned African champions.

Last year‚ the two sides shared the same group with Wydad forcing a draw in Tshwane‚ after conceding an early own goal‚ and then winning 1-0 away as Sundowns flopped and did not make it past the group phase and into the last eight.

“They are smart. They are not going to come here and show us they can beat us. If they can get a point‚ it’s a good job for them‚” added Mosimane.

“They are not going to give us many chances and then they are dangerous on set pieces. They’ve got big boys who come forward. They play with the right technique and in the zones; they move properly.

“They are not going to be all over the place because they know that we’ve got an interplay that they cannot deal with.

“But they are smarter than us. They know how to manage the game. They can kill 10 minutes easy … very easy.

“And then when you get there [Casablanca] they have 70‚000 supporters‚ big drums everywhere.

“That is where the stress and pressure comes. It’s just a sea of red. There is pressure on us‚ pressure on the referees. That’s where it become difficult‚” the Sundowns coach said.

Wydad began this year’s group campaign with a convincing 5-2 home win over Asec Abidjan of the Ivory Coast last weekend.

Veteran coach Faouzi Benzarti has returned to take over after leaving the club suddenly last year to return home to Tunisia for a brief spell as national team coach. 

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