Sundowns expect decent crowd in CAF Champions League match

Mamelodi Sundowns are aiming to welcome their fans back to the stadium on a winning note.

The high-flying Sundowns will host Sudanese side Al-Merrick in their final CAF Champions League group match at the FNB Stadium on Saturday. Sundowns are expecting to attract a decent crowd for their final CAF Champions League group match on Saturday.

This is the same venue they used when they beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly earlier this month.

Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mgqithi says he’s happy to see fans back at the stadium.

“We’ve got our supporters back into our matches and the only thing that one would want to see is to urge our supporters to come in numbers to support us and not treat this game as a dead rubber. We don’t treat it as a dead rubber. Al-Merrick is one of the best teams in Sudan. It’s one a team that has won three championships in a row. We would love to play this match with our supporters and enjoy that drum beat again enjoy that singing and see how the team responds.”

Sundowns top Group A

Sundowns have an unassailable lead of 13 points in Group A, and Mgqithi says they are aiming for their fifth win in six matches.

“For us, it really does not mean much the fact that we have already secured a place in the quarter-finals. I think I said it before, (that) our biggest competition is ourselves now. We have a bigger responsibility to improve or to better our benchmarks and the benchmark is the 13 points we got last year in the group stages and we have a responsibility to better that.”