Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe believes their CAF Champions League shortfalls in recent years have shaped them to be a better team and says they know what is expected of them in order to regain the title.
Masandawana have already qualified for group stages after they defeated La Passe by a 15-1 aggregate score in the second preliminary round. The Tshwane giants had been exempted from the first round along with Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca, Al Ahly, Esperence and TP Mazembe.
Motsepe believe they have what it takes to add a second star on top of their badge this season.
“Champions League is very, very difficult, very demanding and if you look at Europe, you find the big teams, the ones you’re expecting to win the Champions League, PSG, Bayern Munich were the winners a few seasons ago and now they’re stumbling,” said Motsepe at the World Football Summit Africa.
“It’s about understanding being humble when you enter the Champions League and knowing that anybody can beat anybody when we get into that knockout round.
“I believe we have learnt our last lessons of last season. More than anything I was in the change room when we lost to Pedro de Luanda, there was a lot of reflection and soul searching at that time.
“I think we have learnt some important lessons as a football club and this season we have a lot of faith and belief on what the coach can achieve and what the team in general can achieve.
“They’re a very good group of young men and with some senior members and players who have been there and seen it before.
“We have a lot of belief in them.”
The CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup draws were supposed to take place on the 16th of November but were postponed by CAF. This meant Bafana Ba Style have to wait a while longer to learn their group stages opponents.
