Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena anticipates ‘a tough one’ against Wydad

Rulani Mokwena may have been stating the obvious when he said Mamelodi Sundowns’ Caf Champions League semi-final first leg tie against Wydad Casablanca in the Moroccan capital on Saturday is “a tough one”. 

But how else could the Brazilians coach have described the encounter with a perennial adversary that has never made it easy for the South African champions?

That Sundowns have not won a second Champions League title since their victorious campaign back in 2016 was largely because they have been sent packing by Wydad on at least two occasions. 

It was the Moroccans who ensured Bafana ba Style would not hold on to their title in 2017 when they knocked them out in the quarterfinals via a penalty shoot-out after 1-1 stalemates over both legs.

Two years later, having contested the same group and got through, the adversaries met in the semifinal where Wydad triumphed 2-1 at home and held the Brazilians goalless in their own backyard. 

Forgive Mokwena for not chomping at the bit in anticipation of yet another clash with the Moroccan giants. After all, in five trips to the Mohamed V Stadium that will host Saturday’s match, Sundowns are yet to win. 

Speaking after their 2-0 DStv Premiership win over Marumo Gallants at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday night, Mokwena admitted they are in for it. 

“It’s a tough one,” he said in the heart of the 2010 World Cup venue in Limpopo’s capital. 

“It’s going to be tricky, we know that. We expect a tough game, a hostile crowd and a lot of difficulty.” 

Mokwena and his team were going to study their opposition who beat Chabba Mohammedia 3-1 on Saturday night before their departure for Morocco on Tuesday for the first leg encounter. 

“We are going to do our analysis. We know they are playing tonight, and we have to put in the work and the observations. It is difficult to read because they have a new coach. But we expect a tough match, and I know they expect a team that will come there and try to play.” 

Wydad have hired Sven Vandenbroeck to replace Juan Carlos Garrido.

The Belgian, who served as Hugo Broos’ assistant during Cameroon’s triumphant Caf  Africa Cup of Nations in 2000, is the club’s fifth coach this season after the departure of Walid Regragui to take charge of Morocco’s Atlas Lions, the national team. 

The trio of Houcine Ammouta, Hassan Benabicha and Mehdi Nafti preceded Garridlo, who was sacked even after taking the team to the semi-final. 

Mokwena, however, was not reading much into the coaching change and decided instead to focus on getting his team to recover from the rigours of their clash with Gallants before they travelled for arguably his toughest match as a Sundowns coach.

And he did not need anyone to tell him that much. 

“We are taking things step by step. First we must recover and get the legs back. We must get the players in the right space physically and mentally for the tough match ahead.”