Modiba fires warning as Sundowns aim to reclaim title from Pirates
· Citizen
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba has warned Orlando Pirates that the Brazilians are determined to reclaim the Betway Premiership title after surrendering their crown last season.
The Buccaneers ended Sundowns’ remarkable eight-year reign as league champions after edging them by just one point last season. Having experienced the disappointment of losing the title to Pirates, Modiba says Sundowns are hungry to return to winning ways.
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“We want to win the league again. The feeling was not nice losing the league because some of us have never experienced that. Some of us want to go back to that feeling of winning the league every season,” Modiba said.
“Because when you win the league then you get into the champions league and we always want to do well in the champions league.
“But congratulations to Orlando Pirates. They deserved it but we will go again this season in another marathon that we know very well and how to run so let the games begin.”
Sundowns will begin their title campaign with a potentially tricky away fixture against Mbombela United at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night, with kick-off scheduled for 19:30.
The Tshwane giants will once again have to juggle a demanding schedule across multiple competitions, including the CAF Champions League. Modiba admits the packed fixture list has become part and parcel of life at a club like Sundowns throughout the season.
“I think modern football requires you to play 50 or more games every season. It is something that you get used to. Overseas, they also play many games and tournaments,” Modiba added.
“You try to model yourself around those players, how they take care of themselves and how they recover for the next game and how they approach it. For us it’s about learning to make sure that we are always fresh for games.
“We have been playing a lot of football but we can’t complain because we’re professionals. When you sign for a team like Sundowns, you already know what to expect. Experiencing this every season, you end up accepting the situation and work around it.”