Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is happy to finally have some time with his team ahead of their upcoming Betway Premiership clash with AmaZulu on Tuesday.
Cardoso joined the Brazilians last week as a replacement for Manqoba Mngqithi and was thrust straight into a CAF Champions League group stage encounter with Raja Casablanca on Sunday that he won 1-0.
There was a quick turnaround for the league clash with Stellenbosch on Wednesday, that also saw Downs run out as 1-0 winners.
Now the team has some preparation time ahead of the Portuguese’s third game in charge away to a struggling 13th placed Usuthu side.
Cardoso said: “We need this week to mostly rest some of the players.
“We have players out injured, some with the long-term injuries, but others have small issues and they can recover in one week, so we need this break to breathe a bit.
“For example, there is one player we gave two days off from training so he can have a breather and feel comfortable to proceed with preparations.
“We also need to practise but we cannot push the players too much. We must be clever in managing them and our training sessions. It is a challenge but a good one for the coach.”
Sundowns would have been in action this weekend had they not lost in the final of the Carling Knockout Cup. Winners Magesi will instead face an All-Star team in the Carling Black Label Cup at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.