Onyango: You can never underestimate your opponents

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Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango has urged his side to not underestimate Jwaneng Galaxy ahead of their Caf Champions League second-leg clash on Tuesday.

The Brazilians began their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Jwaneng Galaxy in the second preliminary round through goals from Mothobi Mvala and Peter Shalulile.

Sundowns will now welcome the same opponents to Loftus Versfeld Stadium and a win will seal their spot in the group stages of the continental competition.

Despite having a two-goal lead over Galaxy, Onyango has stressed the importance of remaining focused on the task at hand to avoid being eliminated from the competition and dropping down to the Caf Confederation Cup.

‘It is nice to be back in the new year and to have played a game on the second day was good for us, it was worth it. The game we played over the weekend was great for us and good preparation for the upcoming clash in the Caf,’ Onyango told his club’s official website.

‘The game against Jwaneng Galaxy seems easy as we won the first leg 2-0 but it is not over, it is still half time for me and the rest of the team. In football, you can never underestimate your opponents. We must focus on the game and be professional to win the game so that we can take the team to the next stage which is the group stages. It is almost a done deal for us but we do not disrespect the game. We must play the game with a lot of respect and win our home game and build up to the league game over the weekend.

‘It is important to seal off the game and go into the group stages as you don’t want to play in the Confederations Cup. It is not easy to play in the Confederations Cup. We can’t be losing to a team that we managed to beat away from home. We want to get into the Champions League group quickly so that we can focus on the league as we wait for the draw of the Champions League,’ he concluded.

The match at Loftus Versfeld kicks off at 4pm.