Cardoso Happy Sundowns Avoided Pirates in CAFCL, Speaks on Facing Esperance

• Miguel Cardoso has commented on Mamelodi Sundowns' quarter-final draw in the CAF Champions League and why he's happy to avoid Orlando Pirates
• The Portuguese manager also spoke on the Premier Soccer League defending champions facing his former club, Esperance of Tunisia, in the last eight
• The Brazilians and the Sea Robbers path didn't cross each other even in the semi-finals and they can only meet in the finals if they both qualify

Mamelodi Sundowns Miguel Cardoso reacted to the CAF Champions League quarter-final draw, explained why he's relieved to have avoided Orlando Pirates and discussed facing Esperance.

The Premier Soccer League giants learned about their quarter-final opponents on Thursday evening when the draws were held in Doha, Qatar.

The Brazilians were drawn against Cardoso's former team, Esperance, while Pirates were paired with MC Alger, and both teams' paths will not cross each other until the final.

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Cardoso on Sundowns avoiding Pirates, facing Esperance.

Speaking after the draw, Cardoso opened up on Sundowns' quarter-final draw and how happy he was to have avoided Pirates' path until the final as he didn't want to face the Soweto giants.

"I didn’t want to face Pirates because I believe it would be more impactful for the competition if we had a national team that could compete internationally," the former Nantes manager shared with the Brazilians' media team.

"Essentially, there were two teams in question: Esperance and Al Hilal, each distinct and powerful in its own way. We have a strong team, but so do they. The team has undergone some changes since the January transfer window, so we’ll need to assess the new players."

The Portuguese tactician also talked about facing his former team, Esperance of Tunisia, in the quarter-final.

He admitted he's not been watching their games despite following them, and he doesn't know how they play presently.

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"I’ll admit that I don’t know them as well anymore. Since leaving Esperance and coming here, I haven’t closely followed their style of play," he added.

"Of course, I’ve kept an eye on their results, but I haven’t watched any of their matches or studied their approach. I know they’re doing well, and they’re currently at the top of the table."

Cardoso has a good record against Orlando Pirates, as he won the first fixture against them when they faced in the Betway Premiership.

The Buccaneers were humbled to a 4-1 defeat when both teams faced in the league, but it might be a different ball game if they crossed each other path in the CAF Champions League this season.

Mokoena speaks ahead of CAFCL quarter-final draw

Briefly News earlier reported that Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena shared his thoughts ahead of the anticipated CAF Champions League draw which was held in the Middle East.

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The Mamelodi Sundowns star claimed he's confident ahead of the competition's last eight draws and he's not scared of being paired with some of the best teams.

Source: Briefly News