Sundowns warned as Gomora United eye Nedbank Cup upset

‘We have no fear, we’ll go and do our best. We know what Sundowns are capable of,’ Makhanya warned.

It will be a classic case of David versus Goliath when Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Gomora United enters Loftus Versfeld to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup round of 32 on Wednesday night.

United will be hoping to defy the odds against the Tshwane giants, who are overwhelming favourites to progress to the last 16 of the season-ending competition.

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On paper, the gulf in class between the reigning Betway Premiership champions and a side competing in the national first division is significant, with most expecting Sundowns to come through comfortably.

However, Gomora coach Ashley Makhanya has dismissed any suggestion that his side will be overawed by the occasion, insisting his players will approach the daunting task without fear under the bright lights of Loftus.

“We have no fear, we’ll go and do our best, we know what Sundowns are capable of and what they have been doing for many years,” Makhanya warned.

“We have put our plan in motion and whatever happens will happen but we won’t go there with fear. It’s a wonderful experience from the perspective of the players.

“Generally any young player who has never played at that level against a team of that stature, they will be looking forward to playing in that game. You have to give them the opportunity to express themselves and show their quality.”

While the pressure appears to rest firmly on Sundowns, any slip-up would be disastrous for Miguel Cardoso’s side following their 2-1 defeat to Al-Hilal in the CAF Champions League last Friday.

With scrutiny already intense, Cardoso has therefore been quick to stress the importance of respecting their opponents, despite Gomora’s recent struggles, having gone four league matches without a win.

“I don’t agree with the question that the younger guys on the other side are hungrier than my players. Theoraticaly we should be better than Gomora but if we don’t take ourselves to the limit, that theory doesn’t exist. We need to really be committed in what we do in this match,” Cardoso said.

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“We should focus on ourselves in the right way and to take the right mindset into the pitch. We have made a deep analysis of our opponents, just exactly like we’re preparing for a champions league match. We’ll have our usual analysis meeting so that we can present the tactical approach and how we see the match from our side.”