Lebo Maboe expecting conservative Royal AM in Loftus showdown

While The Brazilians have a perfect record in the league so far, their KZN rivals have found the start of the campaign tough and come off the back of a 3-0 defeat away to Cape Town City in the Carling Knockout.

With their struggles further compounded by their expulsion from the Diski Challenge, Maboe is expecting a very cautious approach from coach John Maduka's charges.

"I think I'm expecting a big fight, I think they are a team that hasn't been doing quite well in recent games, but as you know, any team that comes up against us will be willing to sweat blood even," said Maboe.

"So they are not a team that looks to play a lot from the back, they play a lot off second balls, and if we can manage that, I think we've got a greater chance of winning the game.

"They will be sitting back a bit, I don't they'll be as adventurous as other teams have been against us, [but] I don't think it will [affect Sundowns] – we've got a really great squad, with players that can break down any defence on any given day.

"Playing for Sundowns, we've got a big responsibility on putting smiles on our fans' faces, so I think it's also important for us to put the team in a good position to win the game."

Kick-off at Loftus is scheduled for 19:30 this evening, with live match commentary on SABC Radio Stations.

READ: John Maduka speaks on ripple effect of Diski team expulsion