Sundowns draw inspiration from FIFA triumph - Grant Kekana on 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 defender Grant Kekana says they are drawing inspiration from their FIFA triumph over Al Ahli SC ahead of the MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.

The Brazilians pipped the Asian champions to the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup before the FIFA International break, setting up a meeting against the winner of the FIFA Derby of the Americas.

However, Miguel Cardoso and his troops will have their eyes firmly set on Pirates in the meantime, as they look to add another trophy in the cabinet this season with the elusive MTN8 crown.

With the humdinger against the defending champions on the horizon, Kekana insists the Downs camp is highly motivated thanks to the manner in which they overcame a star-studded Al Ahli side before the hiatus.

“We are highly motivated going into this game obviously because of how we won against Al Ahli, so it's going to be very important for us to assert ourselves,” said the Sundowns centre-half.

"We've fallen short quite a few times in this competition, it's sort of been our Achilles heel, but I think the mood, the energy is different in the camp and we're all highly motivated and positive about this weekend's fixture.

Having fallen short to Pirates in the MTN8 final in the 2023/24 campaign, before bowing out in the semi-final at the hands of the Buccaneers last season, the Bafana international has shrugged off claims that the decider is a grudge match.

“I think it's not too personal, we don't like personalizing games. I think it's just more about us doing better than what we did last season, and I think we've had such a good start this season,” Kekana added.

"We just want to keep that momentum because we are highly motivated, we're all positive. As you can see, a lot of players have been getting a chance, so I think not everybody is far off from one another.

"And it's just about us implementing what we know so that we get a positive result on the weekend.

Notably, Sundowns are currently enduring a domestic cup title drought, with their last triumph dating back to the 2021/22 season under the co-coaching of Rulani Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi.

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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