Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi says they are ready to show Kaizer Chiefs who is the boss of the Calabash on Sunday afternoon.
After securing the league title with four games to spare, Sundowns secured another three points in a routine 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United to maintain their domestic dominance.
They have also booked their place in the Nedbank Cup final after beating second-placed Royal AM and will face Marumo Gallants in the final with the treble on offer.
But the match against Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday will be a matter of pride, he suggested, and not something to be considered as a dead rubber.
“At Sundowns we don’t have dead rubbers, the pride of the club is always at stake even in a friendly match we go in with the same mentality, we must win at the end of the day, we don’t want to disappoint our supporters too,” Mnqithi said at Chloorkop on Thursday afternoon.
“We have a responsibility to the Yellow Nation that we always represent them with pride, dignity and honour, that’s why all these matches that are left, we’d want to win them and better our 67 points from last season.
“We’re giving this game the respect it requires, which is why we also feel it’s important why we urge our supporters to come in numbers because this looks like a match where we fight for the Calabash, to see who is the boss in that space.”
He went on to add that he’s hoping to have a scenario where there are more Sundowns fans than Amakhosi supporters at their own home ground – a venue they’ve used this season for the CAF Champions League.
“It’s important for us to understand that this game has got those connotations now, that we have to go there with the mentality to take over the Calabash, we’ve done very well in that space in the Champions League but now we’re meeting the real owners in the stadium which makes the game very important in that space,” he continued.
“The league is not the most important, we need to make sure the name of Sundowns is engraved in that stadium and everybody understands that we also take it as our own venue.”
“We are well supported, they come in their numbers and I can tell you now, I would really love a situation where we have more supporters than Chiefs at FNB.”
The Soweto giants host the 12-time DStv Premiership champions at the iconic 2010 FIFA World Cup arena on Sunday (17h30).
