Brazilians gain important advantages before facing the Blood and Gold

MAMELODI Sundowns could receive a massive morale boost ahead of their trip to Tunisia, where they’ll face Esperance in the CAF Champions League Tuesday night in the second leg of the quarter-finals.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

The Brazilians will travel to North Africa on the back of a 1-0 victory over the Smilling One in the first leg last week.

While the score favours them, the suspension of their weekend Betway Premiership match against Stellenbosch could also work in their favour. Sundowns would have had ample time to prepare, having played their last game in the first leg on Tuesday night at home, at Loftus Versfeld.

This must have definitely pleased coach Miguel Cardoso, who had bemoaned that the local champions haven’t been supported by the PSL when it comes to match scheduling. With Cardoso revealing that players such as Mothobi Mvala and Themba Zwane were close to returning to full fitness, the week-long interval must have fast-tracked their progress.

Cardoso believes in having sufficient time to work on training with his team for huge matches that could define their season.

However, due to the heavy schedule, the Portugal-born coach says he usually has only 20 minutes to work with his team because of the quick turnaround between matches.

His methodology seems to have worked a charm in recent weeks, as Sundowns are still in the running for the Betway Premiership, Champions League and Nedbank Cup. Their league campaign will be on hold this week, as they’ll face rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at Loftus on Sunday.