Marumo Gallants coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has acknowledged that a tricky task lies ahead as he battles for both Nedbank Cup and Betway Premiership survival. Ouaddou recently took over from Dan Malesela, who was shown the exit door alongside technical director Molefi Ntseki.
The Moroccan coach had a dream start in his first match with a shock 2-0 win over title chasers Orlando Pirates in the league. But he lost his second match to Stellenbosch FC during the week.
Gallants will take on Durban City FC in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal at Chatsworth on Sunday [15:00]. The 2020 Champions are considered favourites for the fixture against the Motsepe Foundation Championship opponents.
WHY FACING DURBAN CITY IS A TRICKY TASK FOR MARUMO GALLANTS
“It’s a tricky team. But like I said to the players, we have to give respect to all the teams. There are no easy games, especially a cup [game]. When you play a team that is first in the lower division, they will come with a very big spirit and they will want to beat us. So we will have to put the strongest team that we can in order to go through to the next stage.”
ABDESLAM OUADDOU CONFIDENT THAT THE MANGAUNG-BASED CLUB WILL SURVIVE THE CHOP
Meanwhile, Marumo Gallants are currently third from the bottom of the Betway Premiership with 10 matches remaining. Ouaddou is optimistic that the club will remain in the elite league and vows to fight until the end.
“Every game is important. We will fight until the end, and like I said, we will not throw away the weapons,” he said.
“We will continue to fight until the end. We can save the club until the last minute of the last game. So we have to believe that. But I feel that we can.”
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