Magesi plotting for massive upset against Sundowns in Carling ...

There will be a lot at stake when rookies Magesi FC take on overwhelming favourites Mamelodi Sundowns in the Carling Knockout final at the Free State Stadium on Saturday (6pm). 

Magesi, who were promoted to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) this season, are aiming to cause a massive upset by winning their first major trophy in the top league at the expense of the Brazilians. 

Speaking in the lead-up to the match the week, Magesi coach Clinton Larsen and his Sundowns counterpart Manqoba Mngqithi showed respect for each other but those pleasantries will be out of the window on Saturday afternoon.

“We just have to respect every opponent because in football you will always have our short winter blankets,” said Mngqithi as he explained he prefers his team to score more goals. 

“If you want to score more goals, something has to give. But it will be nice to watch a game where the other team scores seven and the other scores six.”

“It feels like we are actually playing against the national team because on Tuesday I watched six starters from Sundowns for Bafana Bafana and a few on the bench. If you look at [Marcelo] Allende, [Lucas] Ribeiro and [Peter] Shalulile, had they been South Africans, they’d probably be in the national team too,” pointed out Larsen. 

“So, you’re not just playing against Sundowns and that makes this challenge even more exciting for us as a club.”

There are those who said it will be an advantage for Magesi because some of Sundowns' players only returned to Chloorkop on Wednesday after national duty, but Larsen doesn’t agree. 

“I disagree 1,000% because for the past 10 years Sundowns have mastered the art of playing every three days and they’ve been winning. So what’s going to change this time around? We are up against a formidable opponent,” he said.