Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso remains wary of Raja Casablanca despite the recent coaching changes at their upcoming opponents.
Cardoso, who secured his first victory as Sundowns coach against the Moroccan giants, is cautious ahead of the return leg on Saturday.
Another win would significantly strengthen Sundowns' position in the quest for a place in the quarterfinals.
However, the landscape has shifted with the departure of coach Ricardo Sa Pinto following their last encounter in Pretoria. Hafid Abdessadek has been appointed as the interim coach.
Despite this change, Cardoso dismisses the notion that it will necessarily work to Sundowns' advantage.
He recognizes that Raja Casablanca remains a formidable opponent, regardless of who is at the helm.
CARDOSO ON WHETHER COACHING CHANGES WILL AFFECT DOWNS-RAJA CLASH
“When we are at the level we are at, with teams and players at the level that Raja and Sundowns have, there are no problems that affect the moment when we’re going to play,” he argued.
“So, no one should think that the fact that Raja have changed their coach will affect whatever it has to do with the will of the players to do their jobs.
“But also nothing changes to how we will do things. Because we focus on what we see and what we want to do.
“We believe we can have a wonderful game, and obviously we know who we are playing against.
“But the level of respect we should have for any opponent is also the level of respect we should have for ourselves.”
