Cardoso appeals for PSL help for CAF matches

‘I think Champions League teams should be protected,’ said the Sundowns head coach.

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has urged the Premier Soccer League to consider easing their fixture load ahead of the knockout stages of the CAF Champions League that get underway next month.

Cardoso’s juggling act

The Brazilians have booked their place in the quarterfinals and are set play a juggling act in what will be a demanding schedule in the continent and locally.

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Sundowns remain in the hunt to retain the Betway Premiership crown and are also still alive in the Nedbank Cup, where they will face TS Galaxy in the last 16.

“I think Champions League teams should be protected in terms of the calendar and I don’t know how to do it,” said Cardoso.

“It’s not up to me but I think it will be very important to play these matches with some air in the lungs and I remember the Al-Hilal (away) match (in the group stages) was very tough.

“The trip looks simple but I’ve already explain that it’s very tough and the conditions of playing in Africa changes so much that some matches are so tough to play, (also) like Lupopo away.”

Cardoso was speaking after Sundowns secured a crucial 2-0 victory over MC Alger at Loftus Versfeld last Saturday. Ahead of the match, Sundowns enjoyed a rare full week of preparation without a domestic fixture being sandwiched in between their CAF commitments.

‘The right mindset’

“We are an experienced group of people that try to manage as best as possible the context,” Cardoso added.

“We profited this time (from the full week) but most of all, we profited from the right mindset on everything we had to do to come up a strong game plan.”

The quarterfinal draw for the Champions League is scheduled for Tuesday, with Sundowns placed among the four unseeded sides after finishing as runners-up to Al-Hilal in Group C.

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Masandawana could be drawn against reigning champions Pyramids FC, who they lost to in last season’s final. Fellow group winners Al Ahly and Stade Malien are also potential opponents as the race for continental glory intensifies.