Wiliete SC coach Bianchi backs side to upset Sundowns in Champions League

Wiliete SC coach Beto Bianchi believes his side have a 50% chance of eliminating Mamelodi Sundowns from the CAF Champions League despite facing a difficult second-leg encounter in Pretoria on Friday.

The Angolan side held Sundowns to a goalless draw in the first leg of their second preliminary-round tie, preventing the South African giants from scoring an away goal.

Despite Sundowns’ status as one of Africa’s leading clubs, Bianchi insists Wiliete have the quality to challenge the reigning African champions and secure qualification.

“We know that Mamelodi are a very strong team in African football, but we also have a say in this, and we believe we have a chance of qualifying,” the Brazilian-Spanish coach said at his pre-match press conference, according to Wiliete media.

Bianchi acknowledged that playing at Loftus Versfeld, in front of Sundowns’ home supporters, would make Friday’s encounter more challenging.

“Regarding the match, we know it will be a very difficult game, just as we knew before the first leg.

“Perhaps this second leg will be a little more difficult because we will be playing at Mamelodi’s home ground.

“We know they have supporters who will give them a lot of backing, but, in my opinion, the chances of qualifying are 50-50,” he added.

The Wiliete coach also praised Sundowns for the hospitality and assistance his team had received since arriving in Pretoria.

Bianchi believes his side’s tactical discipline was crucial to the first-leg result, insisting they successfully limited the space available to Sundowns’ attacking players.

“Before the first leg, as is normal in football, we had studied Mamelodi thoroughly. We knew they were a very dangerous team if we gave them space.

“In the match in Angola, we managed to close down those spaces well, which made things very difficult for Mamelodi.

“Over the 90 minutes, they did not have a single corner, which shows that we worked well tactically. For this match, we will continue in the same way, working along those lines.”