Teko Modise: Why Mamelodi Sundowns will cruise past Lupopo

Former Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns talisman Teko Modise is supremely confident that the Brazilians are set for a comfortable victory in their CAF Champions League group stage opener against Congolese side FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo today.

Modise predicts a resounding win for Masandawana at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, dismissing the chances of the visiting side, who are making their first group stage appearance in the modern Champions League era.

The midfielder, who was part of the Sundowns setup that dominated the domestic league, is backing the Tshwane giants to kickstart their bid for a second continental title, having last lifted the trophy in 2016.

The ‘Dirty’ Game Won’t Work

Sundowns face a Lupopo side that already caused a stir during their preliminary round tie against Orlando Pirates last month. Their visit to Orlando Stadium was marred by controversial antics, resulting in a suspension for defender Dieumerci Mukoko, who will miss today’s match.

Despite Lupopo’s reputation for mind games, Modise believes the side from Lubumbashi simply lacks the necessary footballing quality to trouble Rulani Mokwena’s star-studded squad.

Speaking on The Pitchside Podcast, Modise outlined why Lupopo’s dark arts will be ineffective against the current PSL champions:

“Just to put context to this for the fans, we have also seen how they played against Orlando Pirates, how dirty they are. It will require us to play differently, it will require a different mindset,” Modise said.

“When we play at home, they are not a team to match us. From a football [perspective], they won’t match us at all, even if we play with 40% they won’t match us.”

A Warning for Mamelodi Sundowns

While dismissing Lupopo’s quality, Modise did issue a stark warning regarding the potential for off-the-ball incidents, especially with VAR not in use in the early stages of the competition.

He stressed that Sundowns must be careful to protect their key players like Peter Shalulile and Tashreeq Matthews from targeted aggression.

“The problem is when they play at home themselves, they will try to play dirty, they will try to play off the park. We have seen the incidents, especially with no VAR, we have seen their off-the-ball incidents,” he cautioned.

“It’s things we need to be careful of because we need our star players to still be able to perform well. They know who the star players are for Mamelodi Sundowns, and they will try to play dirty on them.”

Following Al Hilal’s 2-1 victory over MC Alger on Friday, Sundowns will be seeking a win by at least two goals to immediately take the top spot in Group C.