Pitso Mosimane is prepared to settle for a point away to Wydad Casablanca on Saturday night in their CAF Champions League group stage meet.
It’s a match Mamelodi Sundowns must not lose, the coach insisted.
Read: Pitso: Don't Be Deceived By This...
But that is easier said than done given their history in the backyard of the 2017 winners and a team that knocked them out in the semi-finals of the same tournament earlier this year – and generally get the better of them.
“That game is like winning the Top Eight for me, I just cannot crack it. It’s tough. We haven’t won or drawn there. We always lose,” Mosimane said.
“But we did score a goal last year and needed one more at home last time to go through and eliminate them. But we try again because it means we haven’t tried hard enough. If we say we are putting more, it means we need more. Maybe this is the time because it is the ninth time and they are a stubborn team.”
Read: Why Pitso Is Selfish With Mkhulise
Sundowns got off to an ideal start in the group stages by beating Petro de Luanda of Angola 3-0 on Saturday night at Loftus Versfeld, sending them top of Group C after Wydad were held to a draw by USM Alger in Algeria.
“We don’t struggle with them here, but they are experienced. I saw them away in Algiers when they played USM, who scored early. But I knew Wydad would score and they got a draw, which is good for us because nobody else has maximum points. We should stay there, it’s in our hands,” said Mosimane.
“Don’t let them get the points that they want. We must play smart and make sure Wydad doesn’t get full points, even if we don’t win. If we can get them to only have two points out of six, that will be big. You must know who is your competition. We need to keep Wydad with few points as possible. When I look at the programme I think everyone will get points from Petro. The biggest one will be to win away from home against Petro, that means we would have done a big job if we get that result.”
Download The Soccer Laduma Social Media App & Earn Airtime for Selfies!