Sundowns focus on Sekhukhune amid title race

After reclaiming the top spot following their 1-0 victory over AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership match at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso insists his focus is on Sekhukhune United on Sunday and doesn’t care what will happen in the Soweto derby on Saturday.

Marcello Allende’s 83rd-minute strike was enough to hand Masandawana all three points and move to the top of the table. They are equal on 38 points, with Orlando Pirates having played the same number of games, but are ahead due to their superior goal difference.

The two teams are also level on a +19 goal difference in a neck-and-neck race, with the Brazilians’ 27 goals scored to the Bucs’ 26 the separating factor between first and second place.

With Pirates to face Chiefs in the Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday, Cardoso said he doesn’t care about the outcome of the match as his side is focused on winning their game against Sekhukhune] as he feels the title race will go down to the wire.

“Everybody has to play everyone, of course. At the end of the championship we will see the mathematics,” Cardoso said.

“As many points I lost from our opponents, the best for sure are the ones that are asking us to also lose them, so I think the most important thing for us is that on Sunday, we have to win. That’s the focus we are going to have.

“On the day before the match [Saturday], I will have so many things to do that I will not really be looking at the game. We still have Chiefs to play, but that’s still far. When the time arrives, we will look at them.”

Cardoso also feels the race for the title will go down to the wire and challenged his side to keep consistency in all their remaining matches.

“We must not worry about the table but the next match. ”Next game is against Sekhukhune and we need to continue collecting points and see how it will end,” he said.

“I believe this championship will be a fight until the end and we need to keep consistency, that’s important. ”Consistency in attitude, we need to take all the points at home, that’s for sure, and away.”

Sowetan