Cupido brushes off Sundowns burnout concerns
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Keanu Cupido has downplayed suggestions that the club could be affected by fatigue as they prepare to launch their 2025/26 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign.
Sundowns' MTN8 start
The Brazilians are set to kick off their domestic season with an MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Richards Bay at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday night.
ALSO READ: All eyes on new coach as Orlando Pirates begin MTN8 title defence
However, Sundowns' participation at the recent FIFA Club World Cup has sparked a debate about their lack of an off-season break heading into the new campaign.
Masandawana head into the new season with little rest following their trip to the United States, where they faced Ulsan HD, Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense at the prestigious global tournament.
Their packed schedule has raised concerns about the team's physical condition after a shortened off-season. Despite the demanding calendar, Cupido insists the squad is well-equipped to manage the physical toll.
'We feel like we need to take care of our bodies as players first and then the team will come into it,' said the defender.
'We need to do our recoveries and nutrition is also very important in terms of food that we eat as players. Those are small details that separate professional players from football players. I think a few seasons ago, Mamelodi Sundowns went that direction although I wasn't here.
'You can see the change in players like Tebza (Teboho Mokoena), he played so many games but it doesn't get to a point where you'll see that. They've always been consistent in their performances as well. So at Sundowns, most players are used to it.'
Ribeiro on the way out?
Meanwhile, speculation continues to swirl around the future of Brazilian forward Lucas Ribeiro, who reportedly drew interest from other clubs following his standout performances at the Club World Cup. Cupido admits the absence of the newly-crowned Footballer of the Season would be felt if he secures a move away from Chloorkop.
'Lucas is a great player and I think everyone will miss a player like that. Even if you go into your workspace, if someone has to leave, you'll feel it,' he said.
ALSO READ: Chiefs confirm another departure
'But as Mamelodi Sundowns, if it does happen to him, we'll wish him well. Sundowns has a lot of quality players too that will follow up where he left off … youngsters that can grow into a player like Lucas.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
24 minutes ago
- IOL News
Miguel Cardoso: Arthur Sales not a replacement for Lucas Ribeiro at Mamelodi Sundowns
AmaZulu's Ben Motshwari and Mamelodi Sundowns' Arthur Sales fight for the ball during their Betway Premiership match. Image: Backpagepix Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes Arthur Sales is a very good player who will be key to the club's success — but he was quick to dispel any suggestion that the lanky forward is a direct replacement for his Brazilian compatriot Lucas Ribeiro. The Portuguese coach essentially confirmed speculation that Ribeiro will be leaving the club while speaking to the media during the post-match press conference following their 2-0 Betway Premiership victory over AmaZulu on Tuesday night. Ribeiro — the standout performer of last season and winner of both the Footballer of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards, as well as the Golden Boot for the 2024/25 campaign — is believed to be heading to Qatar. Sales played on the right-hand side, the very position where Ribeiro previously shone. But Cardoso was quick to play down any expectations or pressure being placed on the younger Brazilian. 'It's important that we understand one thing,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'Since last year, there's been a lot of misunderstanding around Arthur Sales — people judging. First of all, people should look at him as himself and not imagine that, now he's playing on the right, they'll see Lucas Ribeiro. 'There's no one who is going to be Lucas Ribeiro, and the coach is not looking for someone to be Lucas Ribeiro on the right — because that doesn't exist.' If ever there was confirmation that the attacker — who also won the award for Best Goal at the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA — is on his way out of Chloorkop, this was surely it. 'Lucas is Lucas, and Arthur is Arthur. Each player has his own characteristics. Arthur is a very good player who arrived in South Africa and wasn't given the attention and credit he deserves. 'Now, gradually, people are starting to understand. And if you look at the numbers — how he impacted the team last year — you'll realise that whenever he came onto the pitch, he was always contributing goals and assists. He was already important last year with the goals he scored.'
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
'Beat Sundowns on Saturday or else': Pirates legends' message to Ouaddou
Orlando Pirates legend Thulasizwe Mbuyane says Bucs head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou's future could be determined by Saturday's MTN8 semi-final match results. The Buccaneers host Mamelodi Sundowns at the Orlando Stadium in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final on Saturday afternoon. Having lost back-to-back matches, Ouaddou is under pressure to turn the corner. He was expected to hit the ground running since taking over from Jose Riveiro in June. 'But overall, Pirates played very well against Sekhukhune; they were just unfortunate not to score. And at the same time, we can't take anything away from Sekhukhune; they defended very well. They were fighting,' Mbuyane told KickOff . 'The Pirates' coach played players we are not familiar with. Hopefully, he saw his mistake, and Mandla Ncikazi must also help him to understand these boys better,' he added. 'On Saturday, I couldn't understand where he was failing, having such depth in the squad. But let's give him a bit of time. Saturday's MTN8 Cup match will determine whether he is worthy to keep or not.' Another Orlando Pirates legend, Moeneeb Josephs, questioned Ouaddou's tactics and squad selection. 'There is no excuse for him not to go on and win things, but for me, it seems that he is trying to put his own philosophy on the team he has. But why, when the job is being made so easily for you and what is handed over to you is just to tweak here and there,' said the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Pirates ‘threw' three points away against Gallants, says Nduli
Nduli believes that with the chances they created, they should have easily won the game. Orlando Pirates midfielder Sihle Nduli says the Buccaneers 'threw the game away' against Marumo Gallants. This comes after the Buccaneers suffered a 2-1 loss to Bahlabane Ba Ntwa in a Betway Premiership clash played at the Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. ALSO READ: 'Take Mofokeng out of Pirates and they'll struggle,' – Sundowns' Cardoso It was Pirates' second defeat in as many games after they lost 1-0 to Sekhukhune United in their opening match of the season. Nduli, who partnered Abdoulaye Mariko in the middle of the park for Pirates, believes that with the chances they created, they should have easily won the game. 'I think we started the game well and created a lot of chances, but we only managed to score one. With the chances we created, the game should have been done and dusted in the first half. We threw away the three points. We conceded silly goals,' said Nduli. Ouaddou under pressure at Pirates Pirates' sluggish start to the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season has brought an early pressure to new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou. Pirates next face Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinals at home at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday and another loss in this encounter could put more pressure on him or worse, he could be shown the exit door. The Moroccan, who replaced Jose Riveiro at the end of last season, was at a loss for words to explain how Pirates, who dominated the game against Gallants from start to finish, lost it. 'We started the game very well, opening the score and creating a lot of chances again that we didn't put in the net and like I said when you don't score, you give the opponents an opportunity to finish you,' said Ouaddou after the game. Ouaddou added that he and his technical team will go back to the drawing board and analyse what went wrong in Bloemfontein and try to fix it. READ MORE: Ouaddou 'disappointed' after Pirates loss to Gallants 'We are going to analyse the game and to see what's going wrong especially in the second half. We tried to make some changes to bring some fresh blood, Unfortunately, the changes we made didn't give what we expect from them, their level.' Meanwhile, Pirates will play Lioli FC of Lesotho in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League. The preliminary round kicks off with first-leg matches between 19–21 September 2025 and second-leg matches between 26–28 September 2025. Pirates are away in Lesotho in the first leg.
