With the CAF Champions League final less than two weeks away, former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Thabo Nthethe has spoken about the role which two remaining stars of 2016 will play this year.
Back in 2016, Sundowns beat giants Zamalek to clinch their first Champions League title and, nine years later, they have to overcome another Egyptian side to lift the biggest prize in club football on the continent.
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Only two stars remain from the class of 2016 and they will have a big role, be it from the bench or the starting line-up. Denis Onyango and Themba Zwane are the only members left from the history makers of 2016, so they will have a big role to play. The first leg will be played on May 24 on home soil, before travelling for the second leg eight days later.
"Their presence will be important. They have a big role to play because they were part of the squad which won the Champions League in 2016. That experience will rub off onto everyone," Nthethe said to Soccer Laduma.
"We were under pressure when we played the second leg in Egypt against Zamalek, but we did not crack under pressure. That's what Denis and Themba will be able to talk about in the dressing room, to let them know that Sundowns have been there before and got through. The situation this year is the same, where the first leg will be in South Africa and the second leg in Egypt. It's going to be a big one, but Onyango and Zwane are still part of the team, so they will have a lot to share with this group. It's going to be an exciting one."
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Nthethe feels Pyramids are not as strong as Al Ahly, the club Sundowns knocked out in the semi-finals, so they have a good chance of securing a second Champions League title.
"They definitely need to win the first leg. When I look at the way Pyramids played against Pirates, I don't think they are as strong at Al Ahly, so Sundowns have a good chance of scoring two or three at home. They just have to make sure that they do not concede at home."
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