Arthur Sales reveals Miguel Cardoso message ahead of MTN8 final

10.10.26 12:00 MTN 8 Cup South Africa

Orlando Pirates

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Mamelodi Sundowns FC

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Mamelodi Sundowns forward Arthur Sales has revealed what head coach Miguel Cardoso told the Downs camp about the MTN8 ahead of their clash against Orlando Pirates on Saturday.

The Brazilians will do battle with the Buccaneers for the elusive top eight crown at the famed Moses Mabhida Stadium, in what will be the Portuguese tactician's maiden cup final in South African football.

Sundowns head into the blockbuster encounter desperately looking to clinch their first domestic cup title since the 2021/22 campaign, while Pirates are gunning for a record-extending fifth consecutive MTN8 trophy.

With the final impending, Sales has disclosed that Cardoso made his intentions clear about guiding the club to MTN8 glory, having already won the Betway Premiership, CAF Champions League and the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup.

“When the year started, the coach said, ‘I want to fight for this cup’, because Cardoso hasn't won this one. So, of course, there's two other cups, it's different and different things happen,” said the Downs attacker.

"Also, some [cups] are outside of the country and the MTN8 is inside the country, so we see a lot of people talk about the game. So, I'm also feeling this one, coming from the outside to the inside.

"So, our answer for this one is more about [the fact that] we want this cup.

Having recently returned from an injury layoff, the 24-year-old Brazil native has acknowledged that he's lacking match sharpness, despite taking part in several friendly matches.

“I think I can play 90 minutes today, but it's also about game time, playing games. I already did friendly games, I trained fully, so game time is very important for a player,” Sales added.

"I don't have this game time, so I think I'm ready, of course, for the coach. I think just game time, play in the stadium in front of the fans, so I need to recover the time I lost.

Notably, Sales has made one appearance thus far this season as he came off the bench in the closing stages of the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup triumph over Al Ahli SC of Saudi Arabia before the hiatus.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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