Windhoek
“If there are still people entertaining any misplaced thoughts that we are just here for a short holiday, they are gravely mistaken because we are going to disappoint them”.
Those were the fighting words of Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, Pitso “Jingles” Mosimane, upon the team’s arrival in Windhoek ahead of their highly anticipated defense of the Dr Hage Geingob Cup against Angolan side, Primeiro de Agosto.
Sundowns will face the energetic Angolan squad in the semi-final of the second edition of the annual Dr Hage Geingob Cup at the Independence stadium tonight at 19h00.
The former Jomo Cosmos and Lonikos’ (Greece) lethal striker minced no words, saying Sundowns are taking their Namibia safari very seriously, since the match serves as vital preparation for the South African season’s opening club tourney, the lucrative Top 8 Cup.
The Tswane outfit brought a strong contingent of 30 players to Windhoek and Mosimane says he will possibly unleash his best starting line-up, as he wants to give each and every player in the traveling entourage some game-time.
“Look, we are now going into our fourth week of pre-season preparations and I must confess I’m very happy with the progress so far. We started our preparations in Mbombela, playing two matches against very good local teams and came out unscathed.”
This was followed by ties in neigbouring Zambia, where the Premier Soccer League giants recorded two wins and one draw against very strong opponents, including a well-deserved victory over double champions (league and cup), Zesco United.
In last weekend’s action, Sundowns easily waltzed past fellow PSL campaigners and Tswane rivals, AMATUKS, (2-0) on their way to the final where they clinched the E-tv Charity Showdown at the expense of Ajax Cape Town.
“As you may recall, last year we did not do well in the Top 8 Cup and were eliminated in the first round, but this year we’re aiming to move up a notch. We also exited the Telkom Cup in the semi-final and want to reach the final this year,” he said.
Though the club got some consolation by winning the Nedbank Cup, the hard-to-please Mosimane is adamant they will atone for last season’s runner-up spot by going all out in their bid to wrestle the coveted league title away from Kaizer Chiefs.
“We’re playing three matches [in Windhoek] within a space of three-days, so I want to give everybody a couple of minutes on the field,” Mosimane says.
Katutura glamour club, African Stars, also fancy their chances of getting through to the final when they confront Julihno Sporting in the curtain-raiser today at 17h00.
The South African visitors also managed to squeeze in a friendly match against Katutura giants, Tigers tomorrow before a potential showdown with MTC Premiership champions, African Stars on Saturday to wrap up their Namibian safari.