Mamelodi Sundowns on a role of Undertaking

Mamelodi Sundowns in the middle of the point of undertaking‚ whose league agenda was distorted in the first half of the season by their African Champions League achievement and subsequent participation in the Club World Cup in Japan‚ are on an intense schedule of two matches per week as they play catch-up.

But if they keep up their winning ways‚ they will likely be playing three times per week right up to mid-July.

Conquest over the Eastern Cape outfit will lift Pitso Mosimane’s team to the top of the Absa Premiership table on goal difference ahead of SuperSport United and Cape Town City in a three-way tie on 35 points.

But Sundowns will have played three games less than SuperSport and four less than City‚ accentuating their dominance in the league campaign.

But they must now fit in 15 more league matches in a 14-week period before the league season is determined on June 17.

Sundowns will likely continue their season through past the first weekend of July if they qualify‚ as expected‚ for the group stage of the Champions League.

Should they get past Kampala Capital City Authority in the second round of the Champions League‚ to be played in the next weeks‚ then Sundowns will play a further six games in the group phase of the Champions League.

The six group matches start in mid-May and run through to the weekend of July 7-9.

Sundowns also have the Nedbank Cup to compete in and if they reach the final‚ this will add a further five games to their programme.

This means on top of their 15 remaining league outings‚ they could have 13 more cup matches in a period of four and a half months‚ arguably the most taxing programme any South African club has ever faced.

It is compounded by two blocks over the next months when club football is halted for international competition.

The period of March 20-30 sees players off on international duty and this is repeated again from June 5-13.

Sundowns’ match on Tuesday is followed on Friday by a potential top-of-the-table clash with Cape Town City at the Athlone Stadium.

They then have only two days rest before they start the Nedbank Cup with a first round tie against amateurs Mariveni United at Atteridgeville on Monday‚ March 6.