Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso
The South African team will host Ahly in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on Saturday, with the second leg taking place in Cairo on Friday 25 May.
“If we can get a positive result without conceding goals, as we did in the Esperance match, it will put pressure on them because another goal from us would have killed the game,” Miguel Cardoso told SABC News on Thursday.
Sundowns reached the semi-finals following a 1-0 win on aggregate over Esperance de Tunis in the quarter-finals.
They won 1-0 at home before playing out a goalless draw in Tunisia to advance.
Meanwhile, defender Grant Kekana said that his side has gained the necessary experience to compete at high levels.
Last season, Sundowns lost 2-0 on aggregate to Esperance de Tunis in the semi-finals, with the Tunisian side advancing to the final under the guidance of Cardoso, who took charge of Sundowns at the start of this season.
“We’ve reached this stage of the competition and fell short. We’ve been together for some time and now know what caused us to fall short. With a coach who was in the final last year, hopefully, we can use that experience to get to the final,” said Grant Kekana.
Ahly, 12-time African champions, are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive title in the history of the continental competition, while Sundowns are looking for their second title, following their triumph in 2016.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: