Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana has admitted that the thought of facing African superpower Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League quarter-finals gives him ‘goosebumps’.
Sundowns will host the eight-time Champions League winners in the quarter-final first leg clash on Saturday afternoon at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Downs, who won the competition in 2016, are looking to add a second star to their badge, and Kekana is expecting a tough and entertaining encounter against the Egyptian giants.
‘When I look at the game on Saturday, it’s going to be a match that will be entertaining because the two teams have won the Champions League. They have tasted Champions League [(glory] and I am talking about recently, not long ago,’ Kekana said to the media at an open day at Chloorkop on Thursday.
‘When I look at the match I get goosebumps because we will play a team that is a powerhouse in African football. If we are talking about their history, we will talk the whole day. So, we are looking forward to the match and I hope the supporters will support us like when we played against Zamalek.
‘The fact that you get free entry to the stadium when you are wearing a Mamelodi Sundowns jersey should give the supporters a reason to come and support the team,’ he added, urging the fans to come out in their numbers.
‘As a Sundowns team we have been dominating and competing in that space for the past six years, and we set a record of 72 points in the league in 2016. We went on to win the Champions League and the Telkom Knockout,’ said the 33-year-old.
‘We always compete in the Champions League and that serves a big purpose, and we are being recognised as a team playing a brand of football that represents South Africa,’ he concluded.