Mokwena Prioritises Finishing Top In CCL Group Stages

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has highlighted the importance of finishing top in their CAF Champions League group, in the aim to get an “easy side” in the knockout stages.

Sundowns, in Group B, are top with 11 points after five matches, one ahead of the Sudanese side Al Hilal Omdurman.

The Tshwane giants, who are set to clinch their sixth successive DStv Premiership league title, are six points ahead of third-placed Al Ahly.

The good thing for Sundowns, if they finish on top of the group they will be seeded in Pot 1, meaning they won’t face either Ahly or Al Hilal because they were in the same group.

But they might face either second placed side in Group A side such as Wydad Casablanca, who are currently the champions of Africa, or Tanzania side Simba SC (Group C) or CR Belouizdad of Algeria (Group D).

Sundowns host Cameroon side Cotonsport at Loftus Stadium on Saturday night in the last group stage match, knowing a win will be enough to finish top.

A draw or a loss will still be enough provided that Al Hilal lose to desperate side Ahly in Cairo also on Saturday.

“That is very important (for us to finish top), we spoke about it in the morning (on Thursday) with the players, that is it important for us to finish number one in the group because it’s got a lot of connotations to it,” said Mokwena, who also o Thursday claimed the second successive PSL coach of the month.

Sundowns also finished top in their group last season. They thought they would have an easy ride in the knockout stages, but they got the shock of their lives, losing to Petro de Luanda of Angola, to crash out in the quarter final. The Angolan side lost to Wydad in the semi finals.   

“We want to finish first, we want to make sure that we compete in the group stages with the same excellence that we played every single match now,” added Mokwena.  

“You know the story – winning is a habit, it sounds like a cliché but it is important that you are going to the knockout rounds with the feeling of winning and knowing how to win important games. This is a mentality that we have to carry into the next match.”    

Sundowns, despite one point ahead of Al Hilal, are already through to the knockout stages due to CAF’s head-to-head ruling, having beaten all three teams in the group.

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They are joined by Belouizdad (Algeria), Esperance Tunis (Tunisia), JS Kabylie (Algeria), Raja CA (Morocco), Simba SC (Tanzania), Wydad AC (Morocco).   

The Champions League quarter final draw will be conducted on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt at 20h30 local time (18:30 GMT and 21:30 East Africa Time).