Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane believes that his side have what it takes to match Spanish giants Barcelona on the field.
Barca will be travelling to South Africa for only the second-time next week as they take on the Brazilians in a friendly on Wednesday evening. Ever since the announcement of the game, talk has been about how the newly crowned champions of South Africa would do when they come up against the European powerhouses.
Nonetheless, speaking ahead of the game, Sundowns coach Mosimane has urged his players to avoid being star-struck and play their normal game. While it is still unclear who exactly will be part of the travelling Barcelona contingent, Sundowns have maintained that the Blaugrana have promised to bring their strongest XI.
“It is all about asserting themselves and not being intimidated by the big-name players. I don’t care about the score. As long as they play their normal game, I will be happy,” Mosimane was quoted as saying by City Press.
The 53-year-old is hoping that his Sundowns players will utilise the experience gained on their travels to the Fifa Club World Cup and on the continent to help them overcome any big match jitters.
“They have played at the FIFA Club World Cup and they should be able to rise to the occasion. They should also put their CAF experience to good use,” he added.
While Sundowns will certainly want to prove a point, Mosimane has admitted that he has urged his players to remain calm and not forget that the game is just a friendly.
“It’s the World Cup next month and we don’t want to be blamed for injuring players. We want to see all the best players in the World Cup, so I’m going to tell my players to take it easy on hard tackles,” he explained.
“This is a friendly and it must be played in that spirit,” he concluded.
