Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has called for complete mental reset and focus as his side prepare for a decisive CAF Champions League second-leg clash against Espérance de Tunis, a fixture that carries added emotional weight given his past association with the Tunisian giants.
Sundowns travel into the encounter with a slender advantage after securing a 1–0 win in Tunis last weekend, a result that gives them a platform to complete the job in front of their home supporters on Saturday.
Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated tie, Cardoso acknowledged the significance of the occasion but was quick to stress that past results must be set aside as his team prepares for another intense battle.
“The emotions and the place where we stand is obviously a place where we see the responsibility of such a match. But our thoughts have nothing to do with what we did in the previous one. It’s a door that we closed,” he said.
The Portuguese tactician is determined to keep his squad grounded, insisting that the second leg must be approached as a fresh challenge rather than an extension of last weekend’s victory.
“We look at this match as one that we want to win. We want to play to win, we want to be a strong team, and we want to be very capable,” Cardoso added.
He further emphasised the importance of intensity, discipline and collective belief, underlining that Sundowns must impose themselves both mentally and physically if they are to progress.
“We want to face it with the maximum sense of will to produce a result — a result that has to be taken seriously in terms of approach, regarding how we look, how we fight, and how we create conditions to fight for a victory,” he said.
With a place in the CAF Champions League final at stake, Sundowns will look to combine their home advantage with tactical control as they aim to see off a resilient Espérance side and continue their continental charge under Cardoso.
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