Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane remains wary of Highlands Park whom they face in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals on Saturday evening, saying they must avoid going to extra time.
The reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions are aware that heading to Makhulong Stadium is not easy and the coach has stated that they will be in trouble against a well-rested team.
Sundowns are set to play three games in one week across all competitions and ‘Jingles’ has urged his troops to preserve their energy as they are set to face Orlando Pirates in the league next week.
“Win or lose, the game must not go to extra time. You know, you need energy at Makhulong in order to win, more than tactics,” Mosimane told the media.
“We’ll be in trouble in Makhulong, I can tell you now. But I hope that the game finishes in 90 minutes, whether we win or lose.
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“It should not go to extra-time because it will affect our league game against Orlando Pirates on Tuesday.”
After their Caf Champions League exit last weekend, Sundowns travelled to Stellenbosch to honour their league fixture on Wednesday night and will now look to Themba Zwane and Gaston Sirino’s inspiration in Tembisa.
“I don’t want to be complaining about injuries because we have enough players that can also play. But sometimes, when you have certain players on the field, they can influence the results on the day,” he added.
“When you don’t have (Peter) Shalulile, (Mothobi) Mvala and Lindokuhle Mbatha on the pitch then it’s a different Highlands.
“And when we don’t have those players also, then it’s a totally different team but we can’t complain because we have other players.”
The battle for a spot in the semi-finals will be staged at 18:00 on Saturday evening as the two teams will look to join Bidvest Wits who thrashed Real kings 4-0 on Friday night.