Eric Tinkler has been full of praise for Mamelodi Sundowns ahead of Maritzburg United's Telkom Knockout final, but is adamant that they 'can turn them over' if they believe.
Masandawana have lots more cup pedigree than their opponents from Pietermaritzburg, but the Team of Choice go into the game in their home province of KwaZulu-Natal full of confidence after knocking out Kaizer Chiefs in the semifinal.
Tinkler does have pedigree in this tournament though, having won it with Cape Town City in 2016, and he says that his side need to enjoy the occasion – but be prepared for a battle at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
As quoted by the club's official website, the coach said, "For me it's been important that the players enjoy the week leading up to the final, to celebrate it to a degree, because it's been a hard road to get to the final... The sprit in training has been really good, and hopefully they will come out on Saturday highly motivated to get the positive result.
"We know we are playing against, in my opinion, one of the best teams on the African continent, an extremely strong team, a successful club – African champions.
"But we have to have the belief that we can turn them over. That's very important for us. We have to know we are going in to a massive battle, and Mamelodi Sundowns are a team with a lot of very talented footballers."
Tinkler is wary, of course, and admits that his side need to stay switched on the entire game, saying, "If we are well prepared tactically and are prepared to work hard for one another, then we stand a good chance, a great chance. But you've got to be prepared to work for 120 minutes, to be tactically disciplined… If you give them any little chance, you know you are going to get punished."
Maritzburg take on Sundowns at 18h00 tomorrow as they aim to land a trophy before the decade comes to an end.
