Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena has explained the importance of Wydad fans when the two sides face off in the first leg final of the African Football League on Sunday.

Sundowns sealed the last final spot in the inaugural competition after their triumph against Egyptian side, Al Ahly on Wednesday at the Cairo International Stadium. The second leg match ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was the 1-0 victory in the first leg at home that saw the Brazilians cruising through to the final.

“We need to deal with Wydad’s crowd and we are required to maintain our focus, we were here last season, playing the semi-finals of of CAF Champion League against Wydad, it wasn’t an easy encounter with Wydad’s fans in attendance,” said Mokwena.

“There are two legs, so we need to handle the first leg well and return with a positive result before the second leg, we are ready, and we are preparing for the match under good conditions.”

When asked about the injured players, the Bafana Ba Style coach said: “The quality of the players we are without are very important, the likes of Peter Shalulile, Lucas Ribeiro, Sipho Mbule, and Thapelo Morena but the absence of others gives very good opportunities for the other players and for us to use the depth of the squad. Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, I would rather focus on what we have, and what we have is a group of players that are prepared to give their heart and souls to serve this football club.”