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WATCH | Sundowns want to reclaim Premiership and defend Champions League

· Mahlatse Mphahlele · 2026-08-06 · nguồn gốc

Mamelodi Sundowns have three main targets this season, according to defender Aubrey Modiba. These are to: - win a first domestic cup trophy in four years; - reclaim the Betway Premiership from Orlando Pirates; and - defend the Champions League. The Brazilians have not won a domestic cup since 2022. Modiba said they will start their path to reaching that target in their the MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Polokwane City at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday (6pm). “We haven’t won a local cup competition in about four years and we want to go back to winning local tournaments,” the Bafana Bafana left-back said. “You win the [2025-26] Champions League and crash out in the MTN8, it won’t look great to our supporters and everyone associated with the team. We need to keep the momentum going in this tournament because it has been a long time since we won a domestic trophy.” Sundowns midfielder Aubrey Modiba says they want to reclaim the Betway Premiership trophy. WATCH interview ➡️➡️➡️ https://t.co/BvM6Uk5Kb8 pic.twitter.com/mReKYFpgc0 Another important aim for Downs is reclaiming the league trophy from Pirates, who unseated the Brazilians’ unprecedented eight-season in succession title run last campaign. “We want to win the league again because the feeling of losing it was not nice. Some of us never experienced it, so we want to go back to that feeling of winning the league every season. It is important to win the league because if you do you go back to the Champions League. We always want to do well in the Champions League and get our gold badge back. “Congratulations to Pirates. They deserve it. It is a marathon we know how to run very well and let the game begin.” Coach Miguel Cardoso’s Brazilians lifted their second Champions League trophy with their final 2-1 aggregate win against FAR Rabat of Morocco. Modiba said Sundowns’ players have spoken about the target of winning it again. “Winning the Champions League is one of the first things we talk about. This star on our emblem is going to be here forever and our names are going to be mentioned as part of that history. We are grateful for the second star on the jersey and hopefully we can add the third one. — Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba “We play for making history and we want to leave the jersey in a better place than we found it. We want to add more stars to the jersey because we try to win everything. We are grateful for the second star on the jersey and hopefully we can add the third one.” Sundowns are starting the season without late midfielder Jayden Adams, who died in the off-season in Cape Town by apparent suicide after returning from playing for Bafana at the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Modiba admitted the trauma for the Brazilians in dealing with such a tragic event, but said the show must go on. “We are trying but it has not been easy for us. It is a difficult moment for the team and the country. You can see how the whole world celebrated his life. You could see the impact he left and for us it is to continue celebrating his life. This came as a shock to everyone and we didn’t know how to deal with it at first. “We don’t have a choice but to learn to live with the fact that he is no longer with us in the change room. We think about him all the time because of the impact he made in the team and everyone’s lives. He was quiet [as a person] but you could feel his presence. He must continue to rest in peace.” TimesLIVE