Mamelodi Sundowns are set to pick up where they left off last season when they bagged a treble in the Premiership. Sundowns take on Bloemfontein Celtic in the first round match of the MTN8 at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.
However, the MTN8 remains the only elusive cup in the Sundowns cabinet.
The multiple championship-winning club swept everything on offer in the PSL as well as CAF Champions league, in as many years. Even former coach, Pitso Mosimane, who left two weeks ago to join continental giants Al Ahly, failed to win the R8 million winner takes all tournament.
Mosimane won eleven trophies in eight years, bar the MTN8.
It’s now time for the three coaches, Manqoba Mqithi, Rhulani Mokoena and Steve Kompela to make sure that the team finally makes a clean sweep.
Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena appointed as Mamelodi Sundowns co-coaches:
Mngqithi says it’s high time they win the MTN8.
“It’s not my wish to win the MTN; that’s a good thing. Everybody at Sundowns, we’ve been here I think I’ve been here for six years now; this is one cup that has always found its way out and we’ve never won it once. I think we’ve been in a final once against Wits and we were beaten. We have a big responsibility as a technical team but the coaches that I work with and I’ve got confidence in the team that we have. One is also confident that they can pull through, but more than anything else, it is one cup that I always say we should win it.”
Head-to-head stakes between Sundowns and Celtic favours the Chloorkop boys. Sundowns have won 17 of the previous matches. Celtic won three and nine matches ended in a draw.
“When you are a team like Sundowns and you just come from winning the league and the Nedbank Cup, probably just a month away, you should still have the confidence and the will power to say ‘let’s fight for it,’” says Mngqithi.
Sundowns capped the season by beating Celtic with a solitary goal to win the coveted Nedbank Cup in the final, as well as the Premiership.
