Mamelodi Sundowns must have a good attitude against Sekhukhune United, says Cardoso

Round two of the Mamelodi Sundowns and Sekhukhune United tussle moves to the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville as both sides turn their attention to the Nedbank Cup last eight on Saturday (8pm kick-off).

They will go into battle less than two weeks after the Brazilians beat Babina Noko 4-2 in a Premiership match at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium last Wednesday.

Sundowns narrowly missed out in the final of the Nedbank Cup last season following their 2-1 loss against rivals Orlando Pirates, and as they continue the fight to secure their eighth consecutive league title, a cup triumph will be equally important after last winning the tournament in 2022.

The Brazilians are unbeaten against Babina Noko in their last five matches, and speaking ahead of their quarter-final clash on Thursday, Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes previous results, particularly their recent 4-2 win, will not count for much on Saturday.

“We played Sekhukhune not too far back; we believe it will be a different match, not just because it’s a different competition, but because it’s a match that will decide who goes through to the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup,” Cardoso said.

“We expect a similar match to the last one, a tough contest. The results of the last encounter do not have anything to do with how we feel the game will be played, and we need to have a good attitude.

“We know what we did well and what we need to take care of, because we know the strengths of Sekhukhune and how they can harm us. We have strong intentions regarding the outcome of the match, and obviously we want to proceed and win the trophy.”

Following their 1-1 draw on Wednesday against Golden Arrows, now coached by former Sundowns boss Manqoba Mngqithi, Cardoso was seemingly dissatisfied with some of the refereeing calls.

He has become the latest coach to ask for the review system (VAR) commonly used in the European leagues to be considered in the Premier Soccer League.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has also previously asked for the system to be introduced to cut out some of the human errors made by referees on the field.

“I do not like to personalise whatever has to do with referees, because I believe in the end, the coach has a lot more to lose,” Cardoso continued.

“It is up to the media to highlight what is good or bad. What I can tell you in recent times is that the level of coaches and players has increased, so the level of referees should also be increased.

“I obviously think that it would be important to have VAR introduced here, and it would help the referees.

“They are also human beings, and it is normal that they will make mistakes in matches. But obviously when they make too many mistakes, it becomes uncomfortable.

“It is up to you to go and look at the match against Golden Arrows, because under normal circumstances, we would have won that match.

“But some decisions cost us two points that could prove to be crucial in our championship fight, and also the morale of the team.”