Cardoso Emphasizes Professionalism Ahead of Sundowns Match

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso emphasized the necessity of a professional performance as his team prepared to face Angolan club Wiliete SC in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie on Sunday. The Sundowns traveled to Angola looking to position themselves favorably ahead of the return leg in Pretoria, with Cardoso highlighting the importance of both scoring and maintaining a clean sheet in an away match.

Cardoso, who is familiar with Angolan football, noted his previous visit to the country during his tenure as an assistant coach at Sporting CP in Portugal, where he faced Petro de Luanda in a friendly match. "It’s been a long while since I was here, I was an assistant coach of Sporting, we played a friendly against Petro de Luanda, so being here is another opportunity, it’s an honour to be in Angola," he remarked.

The Portuguese coach recognized the quality of their opponents and insisted that Sundowns would approach the two-legged contest with the requisite respect, despite their ambitions of advancing to the next round. "We understand the level of Wiliete, and the importance of this qualifying round over two legs. In the first match, we must try not to concede and score; it’s essential so we can finish it in the home match in Pretoria," Cardoso explained.

He continued, "It’s one of the best clubs in the country; we understand very well the team we are playing against, we studied them very well. We face this qualifying round with respect. But at the same time, the respect is mutual, we respect ourselves."

Cardoso affirmed, "So we will try to put, and we will put the best we can on the pitch. We don’t take anything for granted; we understand how professional we have to be. It’s a team with quality players, so we need to be at our best level and do everything within our reach. Our preparation has been okay and we hope to have a good match."

Sundowns aimed to secure a positive result in Angola before returning home for the second leg, with the game scheduled to kick off at 17h00 on Sunday.