Royal AM co-coach Khabo Zondo has pointed out why he believes their visit to DRC giants TP Mazembe won’t be easy.
Royal AM shift focus to their CAF Confederations Cup campaign on Wednesday. They travel to Lubumbashi just days after a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
“They know South African teams have beaten them [TP Mazembe], and surely they would want to revenge. But if we stay technically disciplined and stick to our plan, we will overcome them,” Zondo told the media.
CHALLENGING TRIP
He knows visiting Lubumbashi has always been a challenging trip for local teams. Zondo points out travelling logistics and the treatment before and during the game as things to look out for.
He, however, believes the mindset of every player gets tested, and if you are not well prepared, you could easily get distracted and lose focus.
Teams such as Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu went to TP Mazembe and got positive results against the odds.
Zondo says being in the CAF competition means a team must deal with all the challenges, and complaining is not an option.
“Look, from the time we were readmitted to world football, we always knew how difficult it is to go there, so we cannot be singing so much about the situation we will get there.
“It’s a situation everyone knows. We don’t want to be cry babies. We are up for it. Let’s understand that we are a team that plays at this level.”
POOR RESULTS
Zondo said they would be out to ensure they do not concede but come back with a goal. “We will be happy if we go down there and not concede with the hope to score. It won’t be easy for us to play in DRC,” he added.
The DRC giants have lost their reputation in terms of performance. TP Mazembe are no longer considered fierce African giants because of poor results in continental football.
Nonetheless, Zondo warned his charges not to take their opponents for granted. “We do not count them before they hatch. We focus on our game. If we take them for granted because they lost to other teams, we will have problems.”
