Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi says it is never easy to break down a Gavin Hunt side, expecting a strong defensive performance when his side face Chippa United on Tuesday.

The Brazilians got their title defence off to the perfect start as they beat last season’s runner-up, AmaZulu, in their opener on Friday.

They will now turn their attention to Tuesday night’s clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium against Chippa, who will be full of confidence following their win over Sekhukhune United in their opener this past weekend.

Speaking in the buildup to the clash, Mngqithi admitted he knows what to expect from their opponents.

“Gavin … you know his teams are never easy to break down. One also foresees a possibility of them sitting in a little bit. They played with three centre backs against Sekhukhune, with two wing backs and three central midfielders and two up top. So, you can expect a game that will be a little bit frustrating with a bit of directness offensively,” said Mngqithi.

“Even the goal they scored against Sekhukhune was from a set piece. They’ve got some strong players [like] Petersen, Seabi, Zulu … all those players are a factor in set pieces, even Eva Nga,’’ Mngqithi stated.

“Ngele is also a big factor in set pieces because he’s also good aerially and he’s very good in and around the box … in direct free kicks. So, you can expect a game that will have a lot of aerial duels, a game that will have a lot of bites because Chippa work very hard.”

The Downs co-coach also admitted that the defending champs are battling a number of injury issues heading into the clash.

“What is not helping us at this stage are the injuries that we’ve had. That has made our lives a little bit difficult in our selection and maybe we will change the team that has been doing well,’’ said Mngqithi.