Mamelodi Sundowns are not entitled to pull through against Maniema Union - Mngqithi

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is wary that it is not automatic they will reach the Caf Champions League group phase after meeting Maniema Union in a second round, second leg match at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday.

The first leg between the two sides ended 2-2 in Kinshasa, a result which makes Sundowns appear to be in an advantageous position. 

Mngqithi feels their opponents are a big threat judging from the Kinshasa tie and says they have a plan to pin Maniema to make mistakes.

“But we have to respect them, they’ve got the capacity. They have very good wing play, their full-backs are both aggressive at going forward,” Mngqithi told Sundowns’ media.

“Their wingers are always looking for possibilities for one against one. They’ve got a very powerful striker Kitwa [Kalowa], who gave us a hell of a time, but we must stay confident and believe that Sundowns will pull through. But we are not entitled to pull through, we have to work very hard to make sure that we achieve what is expected of us.

“But we are very hopeful that we’ve got what it takes to pin them down and force them to make more errors. And in our home ground, we are always optimistic that it will be a very tough game for them.”

The Brazilians go into Sunday’s match on the backdrop of edging Golden Arrows 1-0 in a Premier Soccer League match on Wednesday.

It was a result which saw them win a fifth straight league match but Mngqithi is concerned about the little time they have to prepare for Maniema.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have too many days to prepare because [Thursday] will be off,” said Mngqithi.

“Then we are coming back Friday, match day minus two, and Saturday match day minus one. We have seen what the opponents present. We believe we’ve got a team that is capable of playing against those guys.

“The conditions that side were not very good. It was very hot and it was on artificial turf.  We made a lot of technical mistakes as a result, even the goal they scored, from Mosa’s [Lebusa] mistake, was an outcome of not being very familiar with an artificial turf, where the ball stopped and could not get the right power.”

While Sundowns conceded two goals away at Maniema, they are yet to ship in goals in seven league games this season.