Cardoso delighted to work ‘a full week or cycle for a long time’ ahead of Pirates’ date

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is happy that his team has managed to get enough days to prepare for the Premier Soccer League outing against Orlando Pirates on Saturday.

The defending champions were in action on Sunday against Remo Stars of Nigeria, where they managed to get a 2-0 victory at home and a 7-1 aggregate victory to secure their place in the Group stage.

The former Esperance coach has now explained why he is delighted to have enough sessions ahead of the fixture against the Soweto giants.

Cardoso opens up ahead of Pirates' hurdle

“This week is important because basically now we’ve another full week to play on Saturday, but then we will play two matches in one week,” he told the media.

“It is Saturday, Wednesday and probably the weekend again because we are trying to schedule a match, and then we go for the international break again. Obviously, it was important to have these two weeks. I don’t remember working a full week or cycle for a long time.

“Sometimes people don’t understand. When you have the entire group, it means the level of the training becomes higher because the highest quality of the players are there.

“If we don’t have everyone, the level of the sessions drops, and having the possibility to train with the group allows you to work with the dynamics you want to have with the team and also brings out the quality in the sessions,” Cardoso added. 

Sundowns coach happy with CAF progression 

Champions League Vibes Hit Different! 🔥#Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #AreyengMasandawana pic.twitter.com/8pXjltHOf1

— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) October 27, 2025

“Sometimes we think that we are going to play a team that does not have a name, but it’s difficult when we play away,” he added.

“Last year, theoretically, the worst team was Maniema. The first game was at home, and there was a draw, which made it difficult to think [about] what could happen in the competition, especially with [Moroccan side] AS FAR and Raja Casablanca in the same group.

“As you remember, with five minutes before the end of the match, we were losing 1-0 to Maniema [second meeting away], and we were out of the group stage. [Peter] Shalulile scored two goals, and we went through and played a draw against AS FAR, which saw us through,” Cardoso concluded.