Sundowns midfielder Maema urges supporters to converge on Loftus for clash against CR Belouizdad

Sensational Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Neo Maema has called on his teammates to guard against complacency and finish the job when they take on CR Belouizdad on Saturday at Loftus (3pm). 

The Brazilians take on the Algerian side in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal enjoying a commanding 4-1 lead and Maema wants more of the same. 

If they finish off the job as expected, Sundowns will meet Wydad Casablanca in the semifinal after the Moroccan giants needed penalty shoot-outs to beat spirited Simba of Tanzania 4-3 on Friday night. 

“When you sign for Sundowns, these are the types of games that you look forward to playing in, whether you are playing home or away. But the most important thing is that you shouldn’t be nervous.  

“We are footballers and make sure that we improve every game. It was not easy away because of the support they enjoyed but we stuck together. Those type of games build your character to be consistent. 

“Our supporters are also going to play a big part and I encourage them to come in their numbers just like they did in the game against Al Ahly. I am just happy that we got a good result away from home and that gave us a little bit of an advantage for this match here at home. 

“It’s going to be a difficult encounter because CR Belouizdad is a good team and we can’t be complacent,” he said as they prepared for the clash this week. 

“They wouldn’t have made it to the quarterfinals if they weren’t a great side. We are looking forward to the game and playing at home. We hope to come out with an impressive result.” 

Maema said he enjoys playing in big Champions League knockout matches and that is the reason he joined the club. 

“It’s going to be a new day and a new game. We are looking forward to it as a team and we will make sure that we do our end of the bargain. Our supporters are going to play a big part on Saturday and would like to encourage them to come in numbers.” 

Coach Rulani Mokwena also spoke about the importance of  the match. 

“It’s an important game for us. I said it after we played them away that they are a good side that has a lot of internationals. A team that will definitely give us a lot of problems because they will try to discover how we got the result in the first leg.  

“We have to give our best, have the right mentality and try to win the football match. We have addressed the players on what we need to have from a psychological perspective because it’s going to be a very difficult game.  

“We understand how complex this game can become if we don’t have the right approach from a psychological perspective”, said Mokwena.