Chiefs target Guinean champs
CASTRO: IMPORTANT TO MAKE IT COUNT ON HOME SOIL
Chiefs striker tipped off by ex teammates at Sundowns what to expect from Horoya SC.
Kaizer Chiefs striker, Leonardo Castro says he’s been talking to his friends and former colleagues at Mamelodi Sundowns, who have tipped him off about what to expect from their Caf Champions League Group C opponents, Horoya SC, today.
Amakhosi host the Guinean side at FNB Stadium in what will be their first Champions League group C match, after their initial first game away at Wydad Athletic was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns raised by the Moroccans at the 11th hour.
“My (former) colleagues were talking to me about them (Horoya), especially when you play them in away games, that it is going to be tough because of the weather and other conditions,” said the Colombian who spent three seasons at Chloorkop before switching allegiance to Naturena.
“So the most important thing for us is to make it count here at home – by winning the game,” he added.
Castro also called for a responsible display from the Amakhosi side – crucial mistakes have cost them in recent games.
“We need to work hard to get the result, it is not going to be easy. We need to be clever, we need to play with responsibility to minimise the mistakes.
“If we score first I think we can take away the three points. It’s important to start the right way – by winning the home games. It will be easier when we go away because then we can afford to play for a draw and eke out a point.”
“It is going to be a big achievement for us if we can come back with full points from any of the away games.”
He says continental football is quite different to the domestic league because of conditions and how the other teams approach games.
He also highlighted the height advantage that most African teams have over local sides.
“It’s different because teams play in different ways. They have a different structure and they have big, tall players. It’s going to be interesting to see how we match them,” said the 31-year-old from the Colombian capital Bogota.
Amakhosi could, meanwhile, be awarded three points for the abandoned game against Wydad should the Moroccan side fail to find a neutral venue in the time prescribed by Caf.
Wydad have to find a venue in a country that will allow Chiefs entry, as Covid-19 regulations do not allow them in Morocco.
Caf rules stipulate that a club who can’t accommodate their opponents due to coronavirus, will be considered to have lost the match 2-0 and the three points awarded to the away team.
Linda Mntambo deserves plenty of credit for Orlando Pirates’ progress to the group stages of the Caf Champions League, the midfielder having netted in both legs of their 4-0 aggregate victory over Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy in the final qualifying round.
It was the 31-year-old midfielder who popped up with the only goal of the game on Sunday, as Pirates went into the group stages with a win, having basically wrapped up the tie in Botswana a week earlier.
Mntambo is hardly known for his scoring prowess, having never got close to double figures in a single season at Pirates, Chippa United or Jomo Cosmos.
And he was suitably humble after his double against Jwaneng, preferring to credit the defence for Pirates’ progress to the group stages.
“Keeping a clean sheet is important...we have to defend collectively as a team, we start to defend from the front. Getting a clean sheet gives confidence to the goalkeeper and the defence,” said the midfielder.
“They hardly get the recognition they deserve, we as attackers always get the recognition by scoring goals and giving assists.
But keeping a clean sheet away (in the 3-0 win) gave us confidence, now we are going to the group stages.”
With a spot in the group stages now sealed, the Buccaneers shift their focus back to the domestic league where they are on a quest to keep up with the teams at the top of the DStv Premiership.
The fifth-placed Buccaneers take on second-placed SuperSport United in Pretoria tomorrow.
Matsatsantsa are on 32 points after 17 games, while the Buccaneers have only accumulated 28 from the same number of games.
“Now we have a good encounter in the league against SuperSport midweek. We need to recover, stay focused and look forward to the league game,” added Mntambo.
Bucs and SuperSport’s last encounter saw Pirates emerging as 2-1 winners.