TS Galaxy coach Dan Malesela says it's important for his side not to show Mamelodi Sundowns too much respect.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) newcomers take on Masandawana in a league encounter at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night. Kick-off is set for 7:30 pm.
The game comes just three days after tragedy struck Sundowns when defender Motjeka Madisha was reportedly killed in a horrific motor vehicle accident. This was just three weeks after another of their players, Anele Ngcongca, was also killed in a car crash.
Speaking to his club's website team, Malesela kept the focus on the job at hand and is expecting a difficult game against a top-quality Downs side.
He says it's important for his players not to be star-struck by the star-studded Brazilians, who are currently top of the league standings.
"It is going to be a very difficult match considering that these are the league champions," said Malesela, himself a former Sundowns defender.
"But we have to put that aspect of respect aside. When you are competing in the same league, you have to put that aside and match each other.
"That’s what we will be doing. Knowing how Sundowns play, it will be an open game. On the day, the better team will win. We are really expecting a tough encounter," he added.
Galaxy are ninth on the table with four draws and a win from six matches. Their most recent game, against Stellenbosch FC, ended with their first defeat of the season.
With only three goals conceded, their defence seems watertight, but with only three goals scored, the Mpumalanga club is battling to score.
"We need to improve our goalscoring," Malesela said.
"We are trying to encourage all the attacking players to take the responsibility of goalscoring because if we are going to question them only, it is going to be difficult for them.
"I don’t think many clubs rely on strikers in our league,” he continued. “We all need to take responsibility. Even the defenders must take responsibility of goalscoring when they go up for set plays. They need to have that attitude."