Exclusive: Joseph Makhanya: “Mamelodi Sundowns Can’t Afford to Lose the MTN8 Final”

• Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Joseph Makhanya has shared his thoughts on the MTN8 final that will be between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City
• The retired midfielder, Makhanya, argues that Sundowns will look to lift the trophy as they have failed to win it since 2007
• The two DStv Premiership sides will lock horns on Saturday at Moses Mabhida Stadium and Makhanya says the Brazilians are the favourites

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Joseph Makhanya has shared his thoughts on who will emerge as MTN8 champions for the 2021/22 season. The retired midfielder was exclusively speaking to Briefly News ahead of the match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City this weekend.

The two DStv Premiership giants will lock horns at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening as they will battle it out for the R8 million in prize money.

‘Duku Duku’ says Sundowns are unstoppable and are favourites heading to the eagerly anticipated match in Durban. However, he says the Citizens have dangerous players in the form of Bradley Ralani, Thabo Nodada and Mduduzi Mdantsane.

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Wafa Wafa legend Joseph Makhanya previews MTN8 final

Makhanya says the Brazilians have the quality and are hungry to lift the title that has eluded them since 2007 especially under the sponsorship of MTN. Makhanya told Briefly News:

“It’s a tough game because you can see Sundowns doesn’t want to stop winning games. They are dominating in the DStv Premiership. They are bossing everyone around and this trophy has eluded them for a long time. They will want to win this one. They have hunger and drive to win this one. However, that doesn’t mean they will just walk all over Cape Town City. They have a good coach in Eric Tinkler, he can plan well and has a good strategy to win games. Looking at Ralani, Mdantsane and Nodada, they also have quality. This is the same team Benni McCarthy won the trophy with. We saw goals in the previous round and I hope for an open game. Sundowns are favourites in my opinion. Yes, City can shock anyone but Sundowns has the quality and hunger to win this. This is a South African affair, the coaches are all South African and that’s very special for Mzansi football.”

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On whether the reigning league champions are under pressure, Makhanya agreed that Sundowns cannot remain unbeaten and then go on to lose a final. He added:

“Sundowns have quality and winning this one means they have worked hard because it’s not easy to win this tournament. They can't afford to lose this one. They are under pressure, there’s no doubt about that. They are a team that keeps reinforcing and they are expected to win things. They have a quality squad and good coaches, they are yet to lose and I don’t think they will want to lose in the final. They have a chance and I feel they will go all out to bag it. Manqoba won it with Golden Arrows and I think he will bring that mentality to the team. It’s three versus one, Tinkler is up against three coaches and that means he is an underdog already but let’s see how it goes.”

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Looking at the previous results, Downs are fresh from a win over Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows while the Cape Town-based side beat Swallows FC and AmaZulu. The highly-anticipated clash will get underway at 6 pm at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Exclusive: Lefa Tsutsulupa on why Mamelodi Sundowns are not favourites against Golden Arrows

Ina related article, Briefly News posted that former Moroka Swallows midfielder Lefa Tsutsulupa believes Mamelodi Sundowns are under pressure to beat Golden Arrows and reach the MTN8 final.

The dreadlocked legend says even Abafana Bes’thende are feeling the heat because of the R8 million offered by the sponsors as prize money.

This comes as Masandawana are getting ready to host the Durban-based side on Tuesday evening.