Nthethe implores Cardoso to keep Ndamane-Cupido pairing

With Grant Kekana set to return for Mamelodi Sundowns against AS FAR in the CAF Champions League final return leg in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday after serving his suspension, ex-Downs player Thabo Nthethe says the coach should continue with Khulumani Ndamane and Keanu Cupido in defence.

Kekana missed Sundowns’ two Champions League matches after he received a red card in the semifinal first leg against Esperance. This forced coach Miguel Cardoso to use Cupido, who played with a shoulder injury in the first leg, partnered with Ndamane.

With Kekana returning, Nthethe doesn’t think Cardoso should change the line-up for the second leg.

“Honestly, I don’t think it will work for the coach to drop any of them [Ndamane or Cupido] for Grant,” Nthethe told Sowetan. “I think he can be on the bench, but not to start.

Cardoso said recently that Ndamane is suffering from fatigue after costly errors in domestic league matches, and many feel he might be dropped with Kekana now returning.

But Nthethe said: “[It’s important] to keep the spirit going and to keep [Ndamane and Cupido] playing because they played well in the first leg. There was no damage or missed communication between them. I think when Grant comes back, he must go back to the bench.”

With Masandawana heading to Morocco with a slender 1-0 lead, Nthethe, who was a crucial pillar in Sundowns’ defence when they won the title in 2016, backs his former team to get the results.

“To be honest, [their lead] is not enough. I wish the team could have scored at least two. [But] they just need to keep the fighting spirit, and they can end up winning there,” he said.

“Those North African teams make you feel like you are nothing, and the treatment won’t be nice. When we go to them, they already know the results, and now they can plan accordingly.

“It’s not going to be an easy one. They (Sundowns) just need to make sure they don’t concede any goals.”