{"id":31522,"date":"2026-04-11T12:32:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=31522"},"modified":"2026-04-11T12:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:32:30","slug":"arthur-sales-urges-focus-as-sundowns-brace-for-hostile-esperance-test","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/arthur-sales-urges-focus-as-sundowns-brace-for-hostile-esperance-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Arthur Sales urges focus as Sundowns brace for hostile Esperance test"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">The Brazilians are in Tunisia for the first leg of the last\u2011four clash, aiming to secure a positive result ahead of the return fixture at Loftus Versfeld next weekend.<\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Sales acknowledged that playing away in North Africa presents a major challenge, but stressed that discipline and concentration will be crucial if Sundowns are to gain the upper hand against the Tunisian giants. \u201cWe try to focus on the game and forget what is happening outside,\u201d Sales said. \u201cI know it is difficult to play away, but you need to adapt and raise your level.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Sales admitted that matches against Esp\u00e9rance are always intense, particularly at this advanced stage of the competition. \u201cLast year was also difficult for us. Every time we play against Esp\u00e9rance it is a tough match,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen you reach this part of the tournament, everyone\u2019s quality is very high.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Sales believes the semi\u2011final will be decided by fine margins, with both teams boasting the experience and ability to punish lapses in concentration.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>\u201cBoth teams have quality, so it comes down to details,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are many things to focus on and you need to keep your concentration high. That is what will decide the game.\u201d \u201cI think Esp\u00e9rance are a very good team, but we also have quality. It will be a high\u2011level match.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>Sundowns eliminated Esp\u00e9rance at the quarter\u2011final stage of last season\u2019s competition, but Sales dismissed suggestions that the previous encounter gives his side a psychological advantage.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>\u201cBecause we played them last year, we know what to expect, but every game is different,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a professional player, you must adapt.\u201d \u201cSo no, I do not think there is an edge. One year changes a lot. We need to make new history in a new game.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>The first leg takes place in Tunis, with the decisive return fixture set for Pretoria, where Sundowns will hope to capitalise on home advantage and book a place in the Champions League final.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div>&#8211;SABCSport\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":31523,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[20],"class_list":["post-31522","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-sport","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Mamelodi Sundowns forward Arthur Sales says maintaining focus and composure will be key as the South African champions prepare to face a hostile atmosphere against Esp\u00e9rance in the CAF Champions League semi\u2011final.","published_date":"","news_description":"Mamelodi Sundowns forward Arthur Sales says maintaining focus and composure will be key as the South African champions prepare to face a hostile atmosphere against Esp\u00e9rance in the CAF Champions League semi\u2011final.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31524,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31522\/revisions\/31524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=31522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}