Mamelodi Sundowns‘ coach, Miguel Cardoso, faces a unique challenge against his former club, Esperance de Tunis.
Despite his intimate knowledge of the Tunisian giants, Cardoso insists he possesses no inside information that guarantees an advantage. He acknowledges the significant evolution of the Esperance squad since his departure.
“The team has changed a lot since we left; it also changed because different players joined the team. So, the team is different from the one that Sundowns played last year in terms of players and style of play,” Cardoso emphasizes, recognizing the influx of new players and the influence of subsequent coaches. This evolution renders past knowledge less relevant, necessitating a fresh and dynamic approach to analysis.
Read: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Esperance de Tunis
“But also, the team has become different since we left; many months have passed, and two coaches coached Esperance after me. This new coach will certainly bring something new to the team, but we expect the team to be loyal to the identity of Esperance.
“So, as a club, they have a big identity regarding the way they play. We don’t expect [an easy game]; we expect them to be loyal to their game. But what we expect is exactly what we’re going to do – this is how we face the quarterfinals or any other match of this level.”
He stresses the importance of focusing on Sundowns’ own strengths and strategies, rather than relying on outdated information. The two-legged format of the quarterfinal demands a strategic approach, with Cardoso emphasizing the importance of managing the 180-minute contest.
“It’s about understanding which game and team we are going to face, the induvial characteristics of the players, but most importantly how we set up ourselves to profit from the things that eventually have a say [in the game],” he added.
“We need to take care of how they are going to aggress us because these types of matches are not 90-minute matches but a 180-minute match. And we are just playing the first half, so we are clearly under the mindset to understand that whatever happens on Tuesday there will still be more 90 minutes to play.
“And it’s the outcome of those two games that’s going to say if we go ahead in the competition, but we are going to start from the first minute of those 180 minutes to search for the result we need to go ahead.”
Historically, Sundowns have struggled against Esperance, failing to secure a victory in four previous encounters. Kick off is scheduled for 15:00 on April 1, 2025, at Loftus Versfeld, promising an exciting battle as these African football heavyweights vie for continental glory.