Mamelodi Sundowns will not approach the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium tomorrow (3pm) with the mentality of revenge following their MTN8 final loss earlier this season, according to coach Rulani Mokwena.
Pirates edged Sundowns on penalties to defend the MTN8 earlier in the season and Masandawana have a score to settle in Mbombela.
"Cup finals are unique. You can't play the final in the context of having played and lost a league match," Mokwena explained to the media during a press conference in Sandton yesterday.
"The game itself is about what happens on the pitch. Nothing about what happened in the previous fixtures. Nothing about what happened in the last game.
"It is about performing. Finals are not meant to be played. They are meant to be won and that's the mentality we are going to have.
"It's a cup final, a completely different competition and we just want to make sure we win the trophy and finish the season on a high. That's what this group deserves and hopefully, we can do that on Saturday."
What also gives Mokwena hope that his side will come out tops tomorrow is that he was able to have a week to prepare his side.
"I was very excited that we had some training time. I haven't had training time with these players and I enjoyed the last two training sessions. The quality, the intensity and the energy. We trained like a team that just lost a football match and I was very happy with the reaction," he said.
"My training sessions this year have been 10 minutes and I had a stopwatch, but it is a countdown from 10 minutes, then it was bibs immediately at the end of that and I'm not allowed to go further than that.
"This week, I have been able to see the players do different things. I have been able to stimulate and try and stress them a little bit more. That's been the biggest positive in having a neutral week."
Mokwena also said midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch, who went viral on social media partying after Sundowns were crowned Premiership champions at the weekend, is out for the match with an injury he got against Stellenbosch recently.
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Image: Lefty Shivambu
Mamelodi Sundowns will not approach the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium tomorrow (3pm) with the mentality of revenge following their MTN8 final loss earlier this season, according to coach Rulani Mokwena.
Pirates edged Sundowns on penalties to defend the MTN8 earlier in the season and Masandawana have a score to settle in Mbombela.
"Cup finals are unique. You can't play the final in the context of having played and lost a league match," Mokwena explained to the media during a press conference in Sandton yesterday.
"The game itself is about what happens on the pitch. Nothing about what happened in the previous fixtures. Nothing about what happened in the last game.
"It is about performing. Finals are not meant to be played. They are meant to be won and that's the mentality we are going to have.
"It's a cup final, a completely different competition and we just want to make sure we win the trophy and finish the season on a high. That's what this group deserves and hopefully, we can do that on Saturday."
What also gives Mokwena hope that his side will come out tops tomorrow is that he was able to have a week to prepare his side.
"I was very excited that we had some training time. I haven't had training time with these players and I enjoyed the last two training sessions. The quality, the intensity and the energy. We trained like a team that just lost a football match and I was very happy with the reaction," he said.
"My training sessions this year have been 10 minutes and I had a stopwatch, but it is a countdown from 10 minutes, then it was bibs immediately at the end of that and I'm not allowed to go further than that.
"This week, I have been able to see the players do different things. I have been able to stimulate and try and stress them a little bit more. That's been the biggest positive in having a neutral week."
Mokwena also said midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch, who went viral on social media partying after Sundowns were crowned Premiership champions at the weekend, is out for the match with an injury he got against Stellenbosch recently.
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