Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has downplayed the pressure ahead of their sold out Betway Premiership showdown against Orlando Pirates at Loftus Stadium this weekend.
On Saturday, the top two clubs in the South African topflight will go head to head for their first league appointment of the season, with the return leg set for just over a month from now at Orlando Stadium.
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Ahead of this round of action, Masandawana are the current log leaders with 39 points from their 14 league outings. The Mighty Buccaneers, closely trailing in second place, have earned 33 points from 13 games.
With the fixture having often been physical in recent seasons, Cardoso insists that he is focused on the present and what lies ahead, emphasizing that the dynamics of both teams have evolved.
“I focus mainly on our team, we don’t care about what happened in the past, it’s a new page, it’s different teams, and both our teams are different. I know the approach from the last game, I know what happened,” said Cardoso.
“But I need to know how we are going to approach the game; that’s the most important message we need to pass on to our players and we need to study the approach we are going to have very well.”
Despite the match being in the South African spotlight, the 52-year-old insists it’s just another game in their season, with no added significance in terms of the title race. The Portuguese tactician believes the outcome of the game won’t be decisive in the long run.
“Anyway, we are in the process of growing our team, there’s always details we have to take into consideration, and we’ll do it but it’s just another match of football. And whatever happens on the pitch it’s just three points,” he explained.
He added, “Whatever happens it doesn’t close the championship; it will keep it open until the end for sure. It’s two balanced teams that have their qualities but two teams that want to win so badly so that makes it an interesting aspect of the game.”
Cardoso is preparing for a tough encounter with Pirates, having called for a fair and clean game, one that would showcase the quality of South African football to the world.
“Both teams will be pushing for the win, and I believe the game will have its moments. I hope we see a good football match that will highlight South African football on the global stage,” said Cardoso.