Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana radiated confidence two days before the African Champions League decider as he spoke to SuperSport.com from the team’s base in Ben Slimane in Morocco ahead of Sunday’s final.
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Sundowns take a 1-0 lead into the second leg in Rabat from last Sunday’s first leg in Pretoria.
How's the team been doing, especially after the long travel?
“The team is good. Everyone is hyped up. We know what's at stake on Sunday. And I think mentally we're in a good place. We're trying to just fix a few things so that we go there on Sunday, fully prepared, but the boys are up for it.”
Is last year’s defeat to Pyramids in the final something that the team is thinking about?
“Obviously, we learned from them; it's all experience at the end of the day. But we're not too focused on what could have been done back then. We're focused on the future and the present, and I think that's our main focus. We don't want any distractions, any negativity surrounding us, and we want to go into the game as positive as possible.`”
You missed the first leg through suspension. What do you personally want to achieve for Sundowns and for yourself on Sunday?
“To be honest, I'm putting myself behind. It's all about the team, the team's moment. All of us have worked together to get to this point, you know, and whoever the coach chooses on the day to do what's best for the team, will definitely be there to lift them up, you know? This has been a massive team effort. It's been a difficult season. But we've overcome all of those obstacles, you know, there's one last game left, and for us as the boys to just push each other on.”
It's been a 10-year wait for that second star. Is this Sundowns’ time?
“We’d obviously love it, but nothing is guaranteed. We are also not entitled to anything. Ours is to do the work. Pray hard also. But put ourselves in a position where we're able to achieve that. It's not easy being here. We know the road that it took for us to get here, and now it’s just to leave everything on the field.”
Do all these years of being competitive in the Champions League, but falling short, still sit a little bit on your shoulders?
“Whatever happened in the past happened, you know. I think it is part of the experience, part of the journey for us being here. And right now, we're just being as positive as possible. We just want to leave everything on the field, but the mood in camp has been very good. The guys are motivated for Sunday. “
Do you feel you might have left something behind in the first leg and that you should have come here with a more comfortable lead?
“We would have loved to score as many goals as we could, especially back home. But I think the lads put out a solid shift, and it's going to be no different this side, you know? The only difference is that we're away from home. But the effort, that determination, the hunger, the will to win is still there from the guys,”