Miguel Cardoso, coach of Mamelodi Sundowns during the CAF Champions League 2025/26 match between Al Hilal and Mamelodi Sundowns at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda on 30 January 2026 ©Julius Ntare/BackpagePix
Monday Feb 09, 2026. 13:03
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso knows what his side need to do ahead of their final CAF Champions League group match against MC Alger at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Brazilians are still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage after playing out a 1-1 draw against Saint-Éloi Lupopo at the Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on Sunday.
Al Hilal S.C. sit atop group C on eight points, while MC Alger is in second on seven points, Sundowns have six points and Lupopo have five points.
In order for the South African champions to qualify for the knockout stage, they will have to claim a victory at home on Saturday. A draw will not be enough.
Speaking after his side’s fixture on Sunday, Cardoso made clear that he knock what his side needs to do.
“We always play to win. In the next game, we play to win. We play to win and get the result,” said Cardoso.
“We have a match to play that we will always have to play to win, because we don’t play to draw. Who plays to draw usually loses or finds himself in a situation where he can lose. We have to be brave enough to face the next game.”
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw in Algeria in late November, and Cardoso knows what his side will be facing.
“We already played against MC Alger. Obviously, that will be a difficult match, but difficult tasks [are for] for strong people. We play in front of our public. Let’s hope our public understands the moment we leave and how they need to support us,” he said.
Ahead of the do or die clash, Cardoso is confident that last year’s finalists will get the job done.
“We will find the way, the best way, so that the opponent also doesn’t know how we play, and so that we can approach the match in the right way and, in the end, go through in the competition. That’s obviously the objective.”
By Nic Gleeson
