‘We have to be tight at the back’

Basetsana coach Maud Khumalo (right) is confident her team can overturn the 2-0 deficit they suffered to Burundi when the two nations meet in the return leg of the second round of the 2018 Fifa Under-20 World Cup qualifiers match at the Dobsonville Stadium today.

Ahead of this game, Khumalo admits she has faced difficulties over the last two weeks trying to prepare her team for the crucial tie with some of her players currently writing their matric exams.

“It has been difficult for us to prepare with some of our players busy with writing their exams, but we have to look forward to the game. This is a very important match for us because want to go through to the next round. But I believe we can do it, yes. It won’t be easy because we are 2-0 down, which means we must not concede,” said the Basetsana mentor.

“Another positive sign going into this game is that we will have some of the players back who missed the first leg. We are going into this game with only one thing in our mind which is to score a lot of goals. We have to give everything and I trust the players will fight hard to get the result we want.”

With Burundi having the upper hand due to their two-goal advantage, Khumalo is aware the West African’s approach in this game might be to sit back and defend. However, Khumalo adds that they are prepared for that.

“We know they might park the bus, but we are ready for anything. Our players just need to execute the game plan because I know we can score goals. With that in mind we also have to be very careful when we defend,”’ the Basetsana coach added.

“We just have to stick to our game plan and everything might go our way. We know what to expect from them, and I am certain they also know what we are all about.”

In order to progress to the next stage of the competition, Basetsana need to score at least three goals without conceding.