Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained why he does not expect to get booed by Esperance supporters when they meet in the CAF Champions League quarter-final clash next week.
Sundowns have a slender 1-0 lead going into the second leg next week and will have their work cut out to ensure they overcome an Esperance side that caused them pain in the semi-finals of the same competition last season. Cardoso was in charge of that Esperance side that booted Sundowns out of the competition and now he is on the opposite side, determined to lead the Tshwane giants closer to glory.
READ: Sundowns Break Silence On Stadium Fan Violence
The Portuguese coach spoke about returning to Tunisia and is confident that with the bond he built a solid relationship with Esperance supporters not to get jeered from the stands.
"I don't expect to be booed when I arrive there. I know how I came out from Esperance. I know the relationship I have with the fans. But anyway, I always take boos or whistles as fear. So, I respect the people a lot, but I am just on the other side. I was telling you before the match that started. The fact that we are on different sides does not make us enemies. It just makes us exactly what we are; playing from the other side. I hope I can keep my emotions the right way, so that all the time I have big respect for the opponent. They are just friends, colleagues who are trying to do the same job.
"There, Champions League matches have a different ambiance to the normal championship (league), because the rules CAF induces in the matches are obviously important to be respected. It means the ambiance in the stadium becomes more positive and less aggressive rather than the ones you have in the national championship in Tunisia. When Esperance played Club Africain, I wanted to go home and leave my club because it was pure fight. We were in the warm-up and everybody entered the pitch. It was stopped four times. There were people falling on the space around the pitch. And then everybody was taken out. We played the game without people in the stands. That spirit is because of the rivalry they have between Esperance and Club Africain. I don't expect that."
READ: Why Cardoso Gave Maseko A Rare Sundowns Appearance
Sundowns will not have any domestic matches this weekend as they travel to North Africa for the second leg.
