Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions Remo Stars will be aiming to make a bold statement of intent when they take on South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns today at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.
The Sky Blue Stars head into the encounter as underdogs against a Sundowns side that finished runners-up in the 2024/25 CAF Champions League and boasts the core of South Africa’s national team, the Bafana Bafana.
Despite this being Remo Stars’ first-ever appearance in the second round of the competition, the Nigerian champions will approach the first leg full of confidence after cruising past Comoros’ Zilimadjou with a 5-0 aggregate victory in the previous round.
While Sundowns are favourites on paper, they will be wary of a telling statistic – no South African club has ever taken maximum points from a Nigerian side on home soil in their last seven visits. Head coach Miguel Cardoso acknowledged the challenge ahead during the pre-match press conference in Abeokuta.
More Read
“If we come here and think that the stats, the past, or the fact that we were finalists last season will dictate the outcome, we are making a big mistake,” Cardoso said.
“We came here to play the first of two matches. Obviously, both teams will find it difficult to adapt to different conditions. We know what this team is capable of – there’s a dream in the head of every player from Remo Stars and everyone at the club.”
On the other hand, Remo Stars coach Thiago Conde insists his side are not intimidated by Sundowns’ pedigree or star power, emphasizing that both teams will start on equal footing once the whistle blows.
“The most important thing is to understand that when the match starts, it’s 50-50 — 11 against 11,” Conde said.
“The better prepared team, runs more, is more aggressive, intelligent, intense, and knows how to manage the game will win. It’s that simple.”
Conde added that football’s unpredictability often favours the brave.
“There are countless examples of big teams losing to smaller ones. Sometimes the underdog takes one chance and scores, while the favourite creates fifty and doesn’t. That’s football.”
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
