‘I’m very excited, it’s always exciting to play against a former team that I’ve played for and we know it will be difficult,’ he said.
Mamelodi Sundowns striker Tashreeq Matthews is relishing the opportunity of facing his former club, Borussia Dortmund, when the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off later this month.
Sundowns have been drawn in Group F, where they will compete against German giants Dortmund, Brazilian outfit Fluminense, and South Korean side Ulsan HD.
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Matthews previously spent time at Dortmund, featuring for the reserve side but failed to break into the senior squad.
Return to SA and Sundowns
The former Ajax Cape Town youth product was later loaned to Helsingborgs IF in Sweden before making a permanent move to Varbergs in 2020.
After a stint at IK Sirius between 2022 and 2023, Matthews returned to South Africa in January last year to sign a long-term deal with Sundowns.
Speaking at the OR Tambo International Airport ahead of the team’s departure for the United States on Sunday, the 24-year-old spoke about the prospect of playing his former team.
“I’m very excited, it’s always exciting to play against a former team that I’ve played for and we know it will be difficult,” he said.
“If you look at all the teams from around the world, I would say it’ll be difficult for any team. Most of them (former Dortmund teammates) are on loan.
“Some of them are transferred to other teams but I think there’s one or two that are still with the team. The guys that work there, some I’m still in contact with.”
Matthews also addressed the disappointment of missing out on CAF Champions League glory, following a narrow defeat to Egypt’s Pyramids FC in the final last Sunday.
“It was obviously a disappointment and the defeat was a very hard one. A few days after it’s still the worst but at the end of the day we have another competition that we’re in and we are going to do our best,” he concluded.
‘Brotherhood’
“Before I joined Sundowns, I obviously heard about the team but when I arrived, I saw how much more of a team Sundowns are and the brotherhood that we share with each other is what makes us much more stronger.”
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Sundowns will open their campaign with a testing fixture against Ulsan on June 17, followed by a clash with Dortmund three days later. They will round off the group stage against Fluminense.
