Benni must rotate Usuthu squad wisely

AMAZULU face a possible but extremely difficult task to down TP Mazembe when they play the second leg of their Champions League second preliminary round tie against the Congolese giants at Stade TP Mazembe on Saturday.

The teams played out a goalless draw at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday and there is little doubt that Mazembe would have left South Africa as the happier side.

Not only did the away team not concede a goal, but AmaZulu never really threatened their goalmouth in spite of having star attackers Augustine Mulenga and Bongi Ntuli in the starting line-up.

“We looked more dangerous in the second half, but it was not to be,” said coach Benni McCarthy.

“They have more experience than us and they were just happy to get a draw. For them, it will be a massive plus that they did not concede.

“The way that we played today showed that we can mix it up against the best teams.”

McCarthy can take inspiration from their SA rivals Mamelodi Sundowns, who inflicted a rare home defeat on Mazembe in a Champions League group stage fixture in March, beating them 2-1.

“They had speed and pace. We could have not (made) something more from the game than we did,” said McCarthy.

“The scores are still level and we can make it difficult for them if we score in the second leg.”

Meanwhile, McCarthy will need to rotate his team smartly ahead of their Premiership clash against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium in

Nelspruit tomorrow.

Usuthu could not have asked for better opponents than the Rockets at this time. Galaxy are one of only two teams yet to pick up a league win this season, with the other being newcomers Marumo Gallants.

AmaZulu have so far been unable to replicate the form that saw them finish second in the Premiership last season – their highest league finish since the inception of the Premier Soccer League in 1992.

They are currently ninth on the standings, having picked up just one win from six games.