Sundowns turn quickly to Richards Bay after MTN8 triumph

Mamelodi Sundowns must put their MTN8 success behind them as they look to strengthen their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership against Richards Bay at Princess Magogo Stadium tonight.

The champions have remained in KwaZulu-Natal after beating Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 final and are preparing for another demanding fixture during a busy period for Miguel Cardoso’s squad.

Among the changes Cardoso could make is a start for second-choice goalkeeper Ricardo Goss, who was on the bench for the final. Goss welcomed Sundowns’ victory but said the squad had already moved on and was fully focused on the league campaign.

“It’s exciting to have some silverware and we are very happy with that. To win it with a clean sheet was a bonus for us. What a wonderful performance and what a way to pick up the trophy. We are happy,” Goss said through the Sundowns media department.

“All the finals have their own pressure, so we are happy that we handled the pressure that we were faced with and won, which was the most important thing.”

Sundowns’ attention is now on a Richards Bay side Goss expects to provide a difficult test, particularly against a team that could look to exploit any fatigue after the final.

“The game over the weekend is over and we are now focused on the league game that’s coming. Right now, we have shifted our focus to the game against Richards Bay, which will not be easy,” he said.

“They’ve got a young side. They fight, they run, they’ve got energy and we know that they are going to want to run at us, thinking we are tired. But I think we’ve got the experience.”

There was little time for an extended celebration after the MTN8 victory. Sundowns trained the day after the final as they began preparing for their next assignment.

“We played on Saturday and we knew we had a league game on Saturday. After picking up the MTN8 trophy, we actually had a session the next day,” Goss said.

“We had two days to prepare for this game, which would be Sunday and Monday. That’s the life at Sundowns. We just need to keep winning as many games as possible and keep playing every third day.”

Sundowns begin the matchday one point clear at the summit of the table. Second-placed Orlando Pirates face TS Galaxy tonight, giving Cardoso’s side the chance to maintain or extend its advantage with victory over Richards Bay.