Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena says he is pleased with the quality of his squad ahead of Sunday’s African Football League (AFL) first leg final against Waydad Casablanca.
Wydad will host the first leg of the African Football League (AFL) final at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Despite facing a team that is yet to concede a goal in open play in the four matches they have played so far, Mokwena says his team has what it takes to win.
“We are proud of ourselves, we are Mamelodi Sundowns, a team that has received a lot of praise for their style of play and for the tactics we use. But also, we are proud of ourselves because we are proud of our culture, of our history which is associated with Brazilians in terms of our jersey colors,” he said.
He added:” That’s why we try to play in a certain way, we believe in the talent and qualities of our players, of course with a lot of respect to our opponents, the qualities they show and their style of play that they try to impose on the pitch.”
Mokwena believes both teams have what it takes to give the Africans a dream final. “I think Wydad know it’s a very good Mamelodi Sundowns team that will be on the pitch and we at Sundowns know we’ll have a good Wydad team in front of us and we hope that the referees and other parties involved in the game also perform well to allow Africa to experience an incredible final,” he said.
The first leg of the final will kick off at 18:00 GMT. The second leg will be played on Sunday, November 12, 2023 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Sundowns will approach this encounter with a desire for revenge, as the Casablanca club were their tormentors last season, in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
