Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso expressed his desire to face Orlando Pirates, with whom they are competing for the league title this season, in the CAF Champions League final.
Both of South Africa’s top clubs are currently in the quarter-finals of the tournament. In the matches played on April 2, both teams secured 1-0 victories. Sundowns defeated Esperance 1-0, while Pirates won 1-0 against MC Alger away.
Orlando Pirates and Sundowns can only meet in the tournament’s final, so Cardoso’s wish could come true.
Cardoso stated that a Champions League final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates would be great for local football:
“I want to play the final of the Champions League against Pirates,” he said. “Because I’m so pleased that people who love football come to the stadium. They fill our stadium and help us to be strong.”
“And the people who support Mamelodi Sundowns make the players feel heard during the match, so we also get the energy that South African teams get when they play at home.”
“We love those atmospheres. We really love those atmospheres. Those atmospheres should highlight the best of the players. We want to experience that, because a Champions League match is not any match. It’s something else.”
“And the atmosphere you create in the stadium can help us, obviously, to get a little bit of extra energy when we need it,”