Mamelodi Sundowns aim to avoid successive defeats against AmaZulu

Mamelodi Sundowns must respond quickly to their MTN8 semi-final first-leg defeat when they host AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday (19:30), midfielder Aubrey Modiba says.

The Brazilians were beaten 1-0 by Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday and will now turn their attention to league action, with Modiba insisting Sundowns cannot afford another defeat, particularly on home soil.

“Playing AmaZulu is never easy. Right now, I think we need to shift our focus to the league game. We take the loss against Arrows, but we take the positives in that game going into the Betway Premiership because it’s a different competition compared with MTN8,” Modiba told the Sundowns media department.

Sundowns and AmaZulu have both made unbeaten starts to the league campaign. Each side has collected two wins and a draw from its opening three matches, leaving them level on seven points in the table.

The midweek meeting will also bring together two forwards who have made strong early impressions this season.

Cassius Mailula has scored in consecutive Betway Premiership matches for Mamelodi Sundowns, finding the net against Kaizer Chiefs and Marumo Gallants. AmaZulu will look to Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya, who has contributed five goals and one assist in four appearances across all competitions.

Despite the setback against Golden Arrows, Modiba said Sundowns would use the positives from that match as they attempt to regain momentum in the league.

“You know at Sundowns we try to not lose consecutive games. We are going to try our best to bounce back and collect points.”

The midfielder also stressed that a strong home record could prove important to Sundowns’ ambitions during the season. The club’s supporters will again be present at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, where Modiba believes the team can build on its previous league performance.

“It’s important to do well at home because if you collect as many points as possible, you stand a good chance of doing well in the league,” he said.

“It’s another game at home in front of our supporters, and we can hear them sing all the time. If you check our last league game at home, the performance was good.

“Hopefully we can match that going into the next game. We know AmaZulu is a good team, but we have a good team, and the coaches will put up a team that will do well on the day, and hopefully we get maximum points.”

AmaZulu, also known as Usuthu, will aim to maintain their own encouraging start, while Sundowns seek an immediate response after their narrow cup defeat.

All midweek matches will kick off at 19:30 on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s schedule

MTN8 semi-final second leg

Betway Premiership league fixtures