Young Africans assistant coach Cedric Kaze has picked four Marumo Gallants players he feels pose a threat when they meet in the CAF Confederation Cup semifinal on Wednesday evening.
Yanga carry a 2-0 lead from the first leg at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam last week.
They face the Limpopo side at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in a decisive encounter.
For the Dar es Salaam side, it would be history, becoming the first Tanzanian side to reach the final of an interclub tournament.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Gallants, on the other hand, have had an indifferent season marred by relegation battles and off-field issues. In essence, both clubs would be eager to rewrite the history books.
Kaze is, however, aware that a Gallants quartet stands in the way of their dreams of reaching the final. But he insists they have prepared well for the encounter, having been in Rustenburg since Sunday.
“It was very important to leave Tanzania as soon as we finished our game on Saturday after we became champions,” Kaze told FARPost.
“We got here on Sunday. It’s a little bit cold, but I believe that we’re settled. We’ve been through this journey.
“In Tunisia, it was colder than here, but I believe it won’t be an issue for our game. We’re settled in and will be ready for the game. It’s not difficult.
“There’s never been a team in Tanzania that has reached the semi-final of a CAF Club Competition. It’s a bit of motivation for the players to go further.”
MARUMO GALLANTS’ DANGEROUS FOUR
On the players that pose a threat to his side, he said: “Marumo are a good attacking team. They have skilful players, especially up front.
“They’ve represented SA football well, playing fast football, short passes, and good movement. They have players that are sharp and skilled.
“They’ve a good striker – [Ranga] Chivaviro. [Celimpilo] Ngema didn’t play the first leg, but I see he’s back. He will be important to them. They also have [Lucky] Mohomi. The keeper [Washington Arubi] is experienced.”
He added that they were not reading too much into reports of instability in the Marumo camp “Sometimes in African football, we’ve witnessed that, but when the players get on the field, those off-the-field issues don’t count. Sometimes that can be a source of motivation. It makes them dangerous,” he said.
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