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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has again expressed disbelief at having to play seven matches in the space of just a month.
The Brazilians secured a place in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals after beating amateur outfit Mpheni Home Defenders on Sunday, thereby adding another fixture to their already congested schedule.
It’s not the first time Cardoso has cried foul over their frequency of games, but he defended the wholesale changes at the weekend as preparation for what will be a grueling few weeks to come.
"I do hope that we don't have injuries, and I do hope that the injured players can really reinforce us because they are exactly in the point where, in a couple of weeks, they will start returning," said Cardoso.
"So we've already had Sales, who today rejoined the team, we; had Esquivel, who played also, and we hope the players just finishing their recovery process can also help the team in the near future.
"It will be a challenge because, as I said already, we have eight games in a row during one month – this is something that should never happen in football.
"Obviously it's not normal to happen, so until the FIFA break, we'll be playing every three or four days – it's not normal and not acceptable, it's very difficult to cope with.
"So I really hope that players can sustain their efforts, and most of our opponents will not be in this situation – I saw the other teams' calendars, and they will not be submitted to this kind of effort, while we will.
"And we have to cope with it, and we will cope with it, I'm pretty sure. That's why today we also gave opportunities to players that were not playing so much to get game-time.
"So that they also get the effort that comes from official games, which is completely different from a training session or friendly match, because we will naturally need the players to reinforce the team, but I'm pretty confident about the value that we have."
