Mamelodi Sundowns defender Keanu Cupido allays fears of burnout after busy pre-season schedule

The Brazilians will be vying for a ninth successive top-flight trophy when their season kicks off next week.

First they face a Richards Bay side that snuck into the top eight on the final day of last season, in their MTN8 quarter-final on Sunday.

Downs only just recently returned from their exploits in the United States, where they impressed in group games against Ulsan, Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense.

But such a packed schedule has raised concerns about Sundowns' ability to compete on multiple fronts again this season.

Cupido, who featured in 21 games in all competitions in his first season with Downs following the switch from Cape Town City, is, however, confident in the players' ability to deal with the potential stresses of fatigue.

He said in the Citizen: "We feel like we need to take care of our bodies as players first and then the team will come into it.

"We need to do our recoveries and nutrition is also very important in terms of food that we eat as players. Those are small details that separate professional players from football players. I think a few seasons ago, Mamelodi Sundowns went that direction although I wasn’t here.

"You can see the change in players like Tebza (Teboho Mokoena), he played so many games but it doesn't get to a point where you'll see that. They've always been consistent in their performances as well. So at Sundowns, most players are used to it."