Ronwen Williams expects open final as Sundowns face Al Ahli

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Ronwen Williams expects an attacking contest when the African champions meet back-to-back Asian champions Al Ahli in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Sundowns are top of the PSL and have also reached the MTN8 Cup final. They will be seeking their first trophy of the season against a star-studded Al Ahli side containing several players with World Cup experience.

Williams said the scale of the challenge was clear, praising the quality within the Saudi Arabian squad.

“I mean, they are back-to-back Asian champions. So our work is going to be cut out for us,” he told the club’s media department.

Al Ahli’s squad includes England striker Ivan Toney, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Turkey defender Merih Demiral, Brazil’s Roger Ibanez and Portugal’s Francisco Trincao. Williams is particularly looking forward to facing Mendy, who he has followed closely during his career.

“It’ll be good to finally face him. You know, I haven’t got an opportunity to play against him. And obviously, I’ve taken keen interest on his career and what he’s done for the goalkeeping department. You know, he’s been amazing,” Williams said.

The Sundowns captain also referred to the team’s pre-season meeting with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal as an indication of the threat posed by their opponents.

Although Sundowns controlled possession and created a number of chances in that match, Al-Hilal took advantage of the opportunities that came their way. Williams warned that Al Ahli’s forwards would be similarly unforgiving.

“At that level, they hurt you. You know, they make sure that they take the chances. And that’s exactly what we picked up against Al-Hilal. Their strikers are clinical. We’ve seen it with Ivan Toney, Trincao. So, you know, that is something to be aware, alert, and know that once we get that opportunity, make sure or they’ll punish you.”

Williams said Al Ahli’s recent results had fluctuated, but their attacking output remained a major strength. He also noted similarities with Sundowns, who have scored heavily but conceded more often than expected.

“We’ve seen their form. It’s been up and down. You know, they won a lot of games, they lost a few games as well. You know, they’re a team that scores a lot of goals. If you check the games they play, they score close to three goals per game. But also they concede a lot of goals. It’s almost similar to us where we’ve been scoring so many goals, but, you know, uncharacteristic of us, we’ve been conceding as well. So, hopefully, we can rectify our mistakes,” he said.

Unlike many domestic league matches, Williams does not expect either side to adopt a defensive approach in the final.

“We know when we play in the local league, we know that teams obviously sit back, but I don’t see that happening now. So I think it’s going to be an open game. Like I mentioned, it’s a Cup final. Both teams want to win it. We know what’s at stake,” he said.

“I can, you know, just speaking now, I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about the magnitude of the game and what is at stake.”