Downs won’t park the bus despite Wydad’s record
Vilakazi not ruling out smash-and-grab raid
Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca have lost only once in their last 22 matches and Mamelodi Sundowns forward Sibusiso Vilakazi is cautious about their chances in North Africa.
The Brazilians are already in Morocco where they will face Wydad in a CAF Champions League Group C match at Stade Mohammed V on Friday (8pm).
Head coach Pitso Mosimane said before their departure on Monday that he’s not going to park the bus to ensure a positive result.
Wydad are top of the log with eight points from four outings, while Sundowns are second with five from the same number of matches.
The Tshwane side are followed by Horoya, who also have five points and if Sundowns lose, they could drop to third with one game to go.
Sundowns will face Horoya in Pretoria in their last match of the group later this month, but they are not counting on that match to go through, but on getting three points at Wydad.
“It’ll depend. You have to be smart about it. Obviously you would want to go for a positive result and get the three points, but how the game pans out you would see,” said Vilakazi, who’s been leading the frontline for the 2016 Champions League winners this season.
“If you have to take a point [then do so], because you don’t know where the point might help you. If you get three points away from home, especially when you are playing Wydad, it would be a very good booster going through the tournament,” he said.
In all competitions, the last time Wydad lost was 2-0 away to Ivorian side Williamsville Athletic Club, which was back in March in the first round of Africa’s premium club competition. But the result had no negative impact, because Wydad had won the first leg 7-2.
Despite the tough challenge ahead, Vilakazi said Sundowns can hold their own at the same ground where Wydad knocked them out on penalties at the quarterfinals stage last year.
“We didn't have a favourable result when we went there. We got knocked out the last time and we would like to go in there and change our situation. It’ll be very, very good for us,” Vilakazi added.