Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopane Motsepe has identified similarities between his club and German football powerhouse Bayern Munich.
- The Downs were stunned by Petro de Luanda in last season’s quarter-finals
- Masandawana has failed to reach the CCL semi-finals in the past three years
- Motsepe insisted that teams like Bayern go through similar fates.
WHAT HAPPENED? Perennial CAF Champions League title contenders Masandawana was shockingly knocked out of last season’s tournament by Angola’s Petro de Luanda in the quarter-finals.
Motsepe has now compared the Tshwane giants’ run in continental competition to Bayern’s last-team UEFA Champions League run, with the Bavarians also being knocked out by Spanish side Villarreal.
Motsepe explained that people shouldn’t think the Sundowns are guaranteed to blast the squads of Africa’s biggest club football tournament and that teams like Bayern can also be stunned by other teams in the phase. direct elimination.
WHAT DID MOTSEPE SAY? : “I think as Mamelodi Sundowns, for a long time, the fact that we’ve been constantly going to the group stages and being there, maybe we’ve tricked ourselves into thinking it’s easy in the group stages. It’s not easy in the group stages,” Motsepe said on iDiski Times.
“The Champions League is very difficult, very demanding. And if you watch it in Europe, you watch the European Champions League, you fight big teams and the ones you’re supposed to win – Bayern Munich won the Champions League a few seasons ago and last season they won stumbled.
“It’s about understanding and being humble when you enter the Champions League, knowing that anyone can beat anyone once you enter the knockout stages.
“I think we learned from last season.”
THE BIGGEST PICTURE: Sundowns will enter the Champions League group stage this season after beating Seychelles’ La Passe 15-1 in the qualifying round last month.
Masandawana has been knocked out in the quarter-finals in each of the last three campaigns – losing twice to Egyptian giants Al Ahly before being knocked out by Petro de Luanda.
The last time the 2016 African champions reached the semi-finals was in the 2018-19 season when they were knocked out by Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SUNDOWNS? : Masandawana is expected to return to training soon after taking a break due to the ongoing FIFA World Cup final in Qatar.
The Brazilians are set to face Orlando Pirates on December 31 as they continue their PSL title defence.
Who will finish best in PSL this season?
Thank you for voting.
The results will be shared soon.
