Mamelodi Sundowns target all competitions as Cardoso demands winning start

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says his side are ready to compete for every available trophy this season as they prepare to begin their campaign against Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-finals on Saturday.

The Brazilians returned from a pre-season training camp in Austria at the weekend after being granted permission to postpone their opening Betway Premiership fixture against Marumo Gallants.

That means their first competitive match of the season will come at home against Polokwane City, known as Rise and Shine, in the MTN8 last eight.

Mamelodi Sundowns won only one competition last season, the CAF Champions League, and Cardoso has challenged his players to improve on that record by treating every fixture as an opportunity to win.

“We need to honour the badge we represent and play every match to win. Last season, unfortunately, we went out of two cup competitions on penalties. Hopefully this year we can settle those matches within the 90 minutes so that we do not have to reach a stage where the result can fall either way,” Cardoso told the club media department.

The Portuguese coach says Sundowns will prepare for Polokwane City carefully, while recognising that their opponents may look different under a new manager.

“We will take it match by match. Polokwane are a tough opponent. We played them towards the end of last season, but they have a new coach and will surely have new dynamics.

“We will look at what they do in their championship match and try to get some information from that, but most of all we must worry about ourselves and how strongly we can start.

“We need to be mentally strong enough to deal with the difficulties the match will bring but also remain focused on our objectives. Those objectives are very clear. We must play every match to win and then assess where we stand as the competition progresses.”

Cardoso also said the squad had reached a point of physical and mental readiness following a difficult period after the death of midfielder Jayden Adams.

The tragedy disrupted Sundowns’ pre-season schedule, with the squad attending a memorial service before travelling abroad to continue their preparations.

“I think it was an important turnover in terms of emotions. We had to interrupt the preseason. We went to the memorial. We were not in the best place emotionally, so coming out of the country and escaping a bit from the context was very important,” he said.

The coach acknowledged that the squad had faced several changes during the build-up to the new campaign, with some players joining and leaving the preparations at different stages.

“We had to deal with a lot of situations. A lot of players were here and then out of the preparation, but we went through that working every day with a strong focus on the development of the team and on challenging the players for that. Team building, the spirit of the team, receiving the new ones and making them feel part of the family and welcoming them in the best way.”

Despite the interruption caused by the memorial service, Cardoso believes the Austrian camp still delivered significant benefits and helped Sundowns develop both their football and their team spirit.

The MTN8 quarter-final against Polokwane City will therefore be the first test of whether the reigning CAF Champions League winners can mount a challenge on multiple fronts this season.

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