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Kekana expects emotional tie against Ahly

'Sundowns will celebrate victory over Pitso'

Neville Khoza Journalist
Hlompho Kekana of Mamelodi Sundowns during the DStv Premiership 2020/21 football match between Sundowns and Swallows at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria.
Hlompho Kekana of Mamelodi Sundowns during the DStv Premiership 2020/21 football match between Sundowns and Swallows at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria.
Image: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Hlompho Kekana feels that their CAF Champions League quarterfinal fixture against Al Ahly at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday will be emotional for both teams.

It will be the first time Sundowns players come up against their former coach Pitso Mosimane since he left them at the beginning of the season to join the Egyptian giants.

Kekana also believes Ahly will be desperate to avenge the 5-0 humiliation they suffered at the hands of Sundowns in the same competition three years ago.

“It is going to be a tricky one, and we know it is going to be more mental than tactics,” Kekana said ahead of this mouth-watering fixture.

“It is going to be an emotional match for these two teams because if you check the previous encounter, Al Ahly lost 5-0 to us, and I don’t think they are happy with that result.

“I’m sure they will come to us knowing very well that we beat them and will try by all means to avenge that because they were not happy with that. At the same time, we are a team that is so ambitious, and we want to make sure that we win the match and take the team to the final. It is not going to be easy, but we are ready for the challenge.”

The 35-year-old also feels not much has changed from Ahly from the team they beat four years ago, except that Mosimane is the one who is in charge now.

“The only difference now is that coach Pitso is there, and they are playing the same philosophy, and guys who worked with him will understand,” he said.

Asked if Sundowns players will celebrate should they get one over their former coach, Kekana said they would. “We have to celebrate, it is a match we want, and we need to celebrate. It is a big match for the club and the players.

“It will mean more than any other match. Coaches move everywhere. We saw Benni [McCarthy] now he is at AmaZulu, he was at Cape Town City before, and he celebrated after winning the match [when AmaZulu beat the Citizens 5-1 recently].”

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