Mamelodi Sundowns determined to avoid successive defeats against AmaZulu

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Aubrey Modiba says the club will do everything possible to prevent back-to-back defeats when they host AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday (19:30).

The Brazilians are looking to respond after losing 1-0 to Golden Arrows in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.

Sundowns now turn their attention to the league, where they face an AmaZulu side that has also made an unbeaten start to the season. Both teams have collected two wins and a draw from their opening three matches and sit level on seven points in the log table.

Modiba acknowledged the challenge posed by AmaZulu, but said Sundowns were determined to take the positives from their defeat by Golden Arrows into a different competition.

“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 Sundowns media department.

The midfielder added that consecutive losses were not acceptable for a club with Sundowns’ recent record and ambitions.

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

Sundowns will be encouraged by the recent form of Cassius Mailula, who has scored in each of their past two league fixtures against Kaizer Chiefs and Marumo Gallants.

AmaZulu will look to Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya, who has scored five goals and provided one assist in four appearances across all competitions this season.

With both sides level on points, the match offers an opportunity for either club to strengthen its position near the top of the standings. For Sundowns, the fixture also represents a chance to maintain their strong home form and recover immediately from Sunday’s cup setback.

Modiba stressed that collecting points at home would be vital if the club were to enjoy a successful campaign.

“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.

The midfielder pointed to the support at Loftus Versfeld Stadium and Sundowns’ previous league performance in front of their home supporters as factors they would hope to build on.

“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.”