Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana believes their victory over Al-Ahli Saudi in the African Asian Pacific Cup can provide momentum when they face Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (18:00).
Sundowns won their first cup of the season before the Fifa international break and will attempt to turn that success into their first domestic cup triumph since 2022.
Kekana said Sundowns would approach the final with an ambition to control the match rather than simply take part in it.
“At Mamelodi Sundowns we don’t play competitions to compete; we play them to dominate. Last season, we were unfortunate not to get anything locally, but with this campaign, we have given ourselves a chance, especially at the start of the term,” he told the media on Wednesday.
“We are still adjusting to get a local trophy, so we are highly motivated, and I think the lads are just eager and ready to go.”
The 33-year-old linked the team’s motivation to their recent result against Al-Ahli Saudi, saying it was important for Sundowns to impose themselves after falling short in the MTN8 on several occasions.
“I think it’s very important, obviously, to go into this game highly motivated because of how we won against Al Ahli Saudi. It’s going to be important for us to assert ourselves; we’ve fallen short quite a few times in this competition.”
Orlando Pirates have defeated Sundowns in the previous two finals between the clubs, but Kekana said those results would not dominate the team’s preparations.
“We don’t like personalising games. It’s more about us doing better than we did last season, and I think we had a great start this time,” he said.
“We just want to keep that momentum because we are highly motivated, and we are all positive.”
Kekana also pointed to the opportunities given to different players during the campaign, saying the squad’s focus was on applying its approach effectively in the final.
“As you can see, a lot of players have been getting a chance, and it’s just about us implementing what we know so that we get a positive result at the weekend.”
The defender has spent much of his recent time with Bafana Bafana alongside players from both Sundowns and Pirates. He believes that experience has helped the teams’ players build a bond and understand one another despite being opponents at club level.
He expects the occasion to appeal to supporters and neutral spectators, but said Sundowns would commit fully to the contest.
“We just hope it will be an enjoyable one for the neutrals, and especially for our supporters. We are going to leave everything on the field even if it’s a piece of our skin.”
