Johannesburg — According to Mamelodi Sundowns’ co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi, there are very small margins that separate the domestic league from continental football.
That's why, Mngqithi said, they know that they have to approach the two competitions with caution.
Sundowns have been in cruise control in the DStv Premiership. They are at the top of the league with 47 points, 17 ahead of the second-placed Orlando Pirates. They also reached the Nedbank Cup last 16 after beating Richards Bay 4 - 0.
However, they’ll turn their focus to the opening round of the CAF Champions League group stage when they host Al Hilal at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium tonight (6pm). But do not expect the Brazilians to take this match for granted though.
That they’ve been firing from all cylinders and solid in domestic football after scoring 35 and breaching nine goals in the league is notwithstanding. Africa is a jungle. And that’s why even the powerhouses have succumbed to minnows as well.
“The main difference between the Champions League and the (local) league is usually not football as such. It’s just margins,” Mngqithi said. “In the Champions League, there’s very little room for error as compared to the local league.
“The strange part is that you play teams that are not 'big' in the Champions League but I would not know whether it’s a question of quality or what. When we played Maniema, we made two mistakes in the match and they scored two goals.”
Mnggithi added: “In the PSL, sometimes, you make too many mistakes and you don’t get punished. And that for me is not what happens a lot in the Champions League. There's very little room for error there, because errors are punishable.”
Teams playing in the Champions League come from all parts of the continent as well. For those who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, this could be a chance for them to change their situation going forward. That’s why they go all out.
But with the CAF organising committee having ensured that a strict evaluation process is undertaken for allocation of matches, infrastructures are set to improve. Sundowns also were given a wakeup call after their stadiums failed the process.
But the Brazilians will take the game to Rustenburg knowing that they have little to lose compared to the Sudanese-based side, Al Hilal. Albeit being in South Africa since January, Al Hilal decided to camp in the humid Cape Town for weeks.
That feat surprised Mngqithi, who had expected Al Hilal to at least camp in the Northern part of the country such as Limpopo. As a result, Mngqithi insisted that there are clubs who use such camps as an excuse for going on holiday outings.
“If you want to adapt to the conditions here and you know that Sundowns is an inland team, it would be better if you are somewhere in Limpopo or Mpumalanga. Being at sea level, on the coast, might not be an advantage,” he said.
“That doesn’t help if you don't acclimatise to the high altitude that we are in. But I know many people who come to these camps as if it’s some sort of holiday. But when preparing for a match...acclimatise to where the opponents come from."
Sundowns will have three debutants in the Champions League after Teboho Mokoena, Surprise Ralani and Erwin Saavedra joined the club last month. Mokoena and Ralani are expected to make the match-day squad against Al Hilal.
IOL Sport