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Sundowns does not take any competition lightly, says Zwane

Cape Town Mamelodi Sundowns defender Siyanda Zwane says the club is domestically just as ambitious as last season despite their success on the African continent.

The Brazilians were recently crowned CAF Champions League winners, but also lost in the quarter-finals of the Telkom Knockout and the final of the MTN8 earlier in the season, leaving them with just two more chances of silverware - via the Nedbank Cup and Premiership.

Zwane, who has made the right-back position his own after Ramahlwe Mphahlele left to join Kaizer Chiefs during off-season, has been a key figure for Sundowns this season.

The former Golden Arrows defender, currently out with a fractured arm, says the team remains ambitious despite missing out on two fronts already this year.

"For us as the team we won the Telkom last season and unfortunately we lost out this time, but we want to defend the league title and that is still the main objective," Zwane said.

"Since we won the biggest trophy on the continent we are now once again gunning for the league.

"To tell you the truth, this team feels more confident now then last season and going away to play in Africa and win such prestigious cup like the African Champions League has given us so much of belief. So for us it's like we are now more motivated rather than less motivated o do well at home.

"The ambitions of last season still remain, we are big team and very ambitious."

Sundowns this week departed for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, where they will become the first South African participants in the competition.

They start their campaign on 11 December against the winner of the tournament opener between home club and J-League winners Kashima Antlers and Auckland City on Thursday.

"I have said it before there's no cup that we take lightly and all the cups hold the same prestige to us and same as the league we play is very important, so ambition will always the same," Zwane added.

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