Royal AM head coach John Maduka takes the Mamelodi Sundowns clash as a big test for his side after resting some players for the Cape Town City clash.
Thwihli Thwahla exited the opening round of the Carling Knockout after being hammered 3-0 by the Citizens at Athlone Stadium, Maduka made lot of changes in his team against City as he confirmed that he was eying the Sundowns clash.
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The KwaZulu-Natal-based side find themselves in a difficult situation as they are unable to sign players after they were banned by FIFA.
The likes of veteran defender Thabo Matlaba, striker Motebang Sera, captain Kabelo Mahlasela just to mention a few among others are some of the players that did not feature in the ‘beer cup’ as coach Maduka continued to rotate his squad.
“Sundowns game very difficult game, we playing away from home,” Maduka told the media.
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“We happy that we rested most of the players that I think will change the team to make sure that we bring fresh legs. We make sure that those fresh legs will help the team against Sundowns.
“We know that we going to have a very difficult game. It’s a team that wants to win the league again.
“It’s not going to be easy. It’s very important for us to be ready and those that didn’t play they know that they have to be ready to make sure that by Wednesday they are.
“They beat [Golden] Arrows 5-0. They have quality, they capable of scoring goals.
“Looking forward to it. It’s a league game – it’s not like a cup game – we have to be smart,” he said.
The two unbeaten teams face off in the Betway Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium at 19:30.