THE FUSE

By Dylan Bettencourt

Cardoso said Champions League teams need breathing room in the calendar with quarterfinals coming up next month.

Sundowns beat MC Alger 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday after a rare full week without domestic games.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has called on the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to give Champions League teams more rest as the knockout rounds get closer.

Sundowns are through to the CAF Champions League quarterfinals. But they are also chasing the Betway Premiership title and still have a Nedbank Cup last-16 match against TS Galaxy to play.

“I think Champions League teams should be protected in terms of the calendar and I don’t know how to do it,” Cardoso said. “It’s not up to me but I think it will be very important to play these matches with some air in the lungs.”

Cardoso said travelling in Africa is harder than people realise.

“I remember the Al-Hilal away match was very tough. The trip looks simple but it’s very tough and the conditions of playing in Africa changes so much that some matches are so tough to play, like Lupopo away,” he said.

Cardoso was speaking after Sundowns beat MC Alger 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The team had a full week to prepare without a domestic game in between.

“We profited this time but most of all, we profited from the right mindset on everything we had to do to come up with a strong game plan,” he said.

The Champions League quarterfinal draw takes place on Tuesday. Sundowns are among the four unseeded teams after finishing second behind Al-Hilal in Group C.

That means they could face defending champions Pyramids FC, Al Ahly or Stade Malien.

Pictured above: Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso.

Image source: File