Remo stars coach backs Sundowns for CAFCL semis

by Staff Reporter

Monday Oct 27, 2025. 12:42

Remo Stars head coach Tiago Conde has praised Mamelodi Sundowns, saying the club are favourites to reach the CAF Champions League semi-finals.

Sundowns defeated Remo Stars 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday to claim a 7-1 win on aggregate and advance to the Champions League group stage.

The 40-year-old coach stated that he expects to see Sundowns among the final four of the competition.

“I’m expecting that Mamelodi will be among three or four teams, [and] will be the team with capacity to win this competition, for sure,” said Conde, speaking after their clash.

The Portuguese national believes that the South African side’s personnel make them a dangerous opponent, with few teams that can rival them.

“I cannot see more teams with this capacity they have. They have a mix of players, South African players, Brazilian players, Portuguese players, [and] he’s a Portuguese coach as well, so I’m sure,” he said.

“I don’t know if they get champion in the national competition, but in the CAF competition, I’m expecting they can be champion. I cannot bet, but if on the quarterfinals, I’m sure Mameloudi will be one of the teams on the semifinals, and another three.”

Conde also cited the Sundowns were better prepared for the tie than his side due to their prior experience in the Champions League and the level of competition they face on a weekly basis.

“Of course, the competition, the local competition in South Africa, seems more competitive in the level higher than the competition we have in Nigeria. Because of that, we can see Mamelodi more prepared [for these] kind of games than us.”

Sundowns will discover the identity of their group-stage opponents on 3 November at the group stage draw in Johannesburg.

By Nic Gleeson