Kennedy Mweene says Sundowns must take advantage of ‘home’ conditions against Al Ahly

Mahlatse Mphahlele Sports reporter
A lot will be expected from Kennedy Mweene as he maintains his position between the posts against Al Ahly at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
A lot will be expected from Kennedy Mweene as he maintains his position between the posts against Al Ahly at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene has called on his teammates to take full advantage of “home” conditions at FNB Stadium against Al Ahly in their crunch Caf Champions League group stages clash on Saturday afternoon.

Since the start of the group stages, the Brazilians have been forced to play their home matches away from the Loftus and Lucas Moripe Stadiums in Hatfield and Atteridgeville respectively.

Last month, Sundowns beat Al-Hilal Omdurman 1-0 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg after Loftus and Lucas Moripe failed to meet new standards set out by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

FNB is the home of Sundowns’ domestic rivals Kaizer Chiefs but Mweene said their focus is not on where the match is going to be played but on ensuring they get a positive result.

“Our first game was also played away, we played against Al-Hilal in Rustenburg and there’s nothing that we can do but go and play at the FNB Stadium,” said the 37-year-old Mweene.

“At the end of the day we are playing at home and we are used to playing at FNB. I think it’s about the country at the moment and not about the Premier Soccer League (PSL).  We are OK with it and we are looking forward to the game on Saturday.”

Sundowns stunned the Red Devils 1-0 in the away leg in Cairo last weekend to maintain their place on top of Group A with seven points from three matches and victory will almost certainly guarantee them passage to the next round.

“We are in a good space and what we want is to collect points as soon as possible. We still have pressure on us but it’s not as much as the other teams that are following us.

“We must continue winning and maintain our number one spot. Our coaches have done a lot with us. We take this game as seriously as we can because we know we just have to do our best whether they have rested or not,” he said, adding that they must bring their A-game.

“One thing we must not take advantage of is thinking that we are at home and we have rested a bit while Al Ahly has been playing their games. I think that is the biggest mistake we can make.

“We just have to work extra hard because we know that whether they’ve rested or not they will come at us and we just have to be prepared.”

Mweene was partly the reason Sundowns returned with all the three points from Cairo last week as he pulled off some stunning saves and he is ready for another tough afternoon if he is chosen again.

“One thing you have to do is to remain positive, you must train smart especially when you are my age. It all goes back to training, the kind of training we do with coach Wendell (Robinson).

“I’m not that old so I think one just has to look after themself and to see what you put in your system. It’s always looking after yourself, you cannot cheat at football at the end of the day.”


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