“I hope it doesn’t rain because if it does rain, believe me, it will be a horrible pitch to play football,” Cardoso said.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has voiced concerns over the state of the Loftus Versfeld pitch ahead of their highly anticipated Betway Premiership clash against Orlando Pirates on Saturday afternoon.
Cardoso fears that if it rains, the bumpy pitch could affect the quality of football on display in what promises to be one of the standout league fixtures of the season.
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The Loftus surface, traditionally used for rugby, has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. It was already showing signs of wear and tear when Sundowns defeated Remo Stars of Nigeria 2-0 in the CAF Champions League last Sunday.
“You know, in terms of safety reasons, Lucas Moripe Stadium is not the best venue to host a big match like this one,” Cardoso explained.
“I feel that’s why the game was changed to Loftus. I hope it doesn’t rain because if it does rain, believe me, it will be a horrible pitch to play football on, because the pitch also at Lucas will be changed pretty soon or at least have a big intervention.”
The condition of the playing surface is not a new concern for Sundowns. Last season’s 4-1 victory over the Buccaneers was also marred by complaints about the uneven and slippery pitch, which disrupted both sides’ passing rhythm.
“We didn’t like to play the match against Pirates on a pitch like we did last season. Don’t think that we like those kinds of things, because we don’t,” Cardoso added.
“We like fair play and we like to play good football. If you ask my players where they want to play, they will tell you they don’t want to play on a pitch that doesn’t allow them to play football.”
While Cardoso is hoping for dry weather conditions, Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba has underlined the importance of getting a positive result. The versatile full-back emphasised how crucial it is to collect maximum points against one of their title rivals early in the campaign.
“With Pirates, the last few seasons, this is the team that has been pushing us. I think that gives us extra motivation playing against them,” Modiba said.
“Obviously, there’s the banter in the national team because we have more or less the same number of players, so we always talk about this game. We don’t want to lose to them going into the national team because the banter will be something else.
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“They have been doing well in the league and pushing us to the limit, and taking three points from them helps us towards the end to have an edge over them in clinching the league.”
