Miguel Cardoso responds to pressure to win Champions League | OneFootball

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Cardoso on pressure to deliver CAFCL

Photo: Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has responded to the pressure to deliver the coveted CAF Champions League title ahead of their group stage opener against FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday.

The Brazilians were crowned African champions in 2016 under the tutelage of renowned South African tactician Pitso Mosimane.

Since then, the trophy has been eluding Sundowns as they crashed out in the semi-final stage for two seasons in a row, prior to falling short to Pyramids FC in the final last season.

With the club desperately gunning for continental glory, Cardoso says they must put their focus on winning each and every trophy on offer, despite acknowledging the favorites tag his side possesses in Africa's premier club competition.

“I think we need to have a clear focus on winning competitions and it's not only on winning the Champions League. But I know that throughout the competition everybody will put the team under pressure saying we are the ones that should win and they are the ones that are just participating,” he said.

"It started very quickly this type of speech, but for sure what we will do is be loyal to ourselves and being loyal to ourselves is obviously knowing that we have a desire, we have an intention.

On Sundowns' perceived obsession with lifting the Champions League, the Downs mentor shrugged off the claims, but remains hopeful his team can deliver the second star.

“I don't think that the word obsession is the right one because obsession for me it's a little bit already in medical state. But the pursuit of an objective should be done with all the energy that you can put on and that energy obviously we are gonna put,” Cardoso added.

"For Champions League, it's a trophy that the club seeks for 10 years. Unfortunately, last year we were not able to give this pleasure to South Africa in general, but mostly to our fans and to our club. As you might imagine, myself I'm even in a worse situation because for two years in a row I am there [in the final] and I could not win.

"But that will take nothing from us, it just gives - it will gives us energy to seek for an objective understanding that in the end by details because it's always by details there will be a team that wins and we hope that we can be in that decisive moment and that we can be more stronger.

He went on: "There's a lot to do before we arrive there, we should think about winning the group stages, and to win the group stages we need to win the next match and the next match is the most important match of our lives - that's how we are going to face this match [vs Lupopo].