Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies head coach Jerry Tshabalala admits his side is bracing up for a tricky final group stage tie against TP Mazembe in Marrakech on Sunday (6 November 2022).
Ruthless Masandawana got off to a fantastic start in Group B, beginning with a 2-1 triumph over Bayelsa Queens and followed up with a 5-0 thrashing of Wadi Degla at Grand Stade de Marrakech.
Even with the feat, the South Africans still need at least a draw to seal their progression to the semi-finals and the 42-year-old tactician assures his side will leave nothing to chance against the Congolese.
“It’s a very tricky game for us and we all know that in the group we are going to play, no one is qualified yet for the semifinals, it’s going to be tough for all,” Tshabalala said during the pre-match press conference.
“We all want to qualify, so are just going to be very cautious in terms of how we approach this game and give our best to qualify. We discover that this group got the toughest teams. We are using the experience that we’ve gained from the previous tournament and we understand the level of competition will be high. We learned from the experience of failure in the [COSAFA] tournament and that is helping us yet for now.”
Mazembe beat Wadi Degla 1-0 before bowing 2-0 to Bayelsa but could still progress with a win against Sundowns – a dream that they are strategically aiming to ruin, according to the manager.
“I’ve seen that they have some speedy wingers from their two matches. So we need to be very careful in terms of how we will contain them and we know how to oppose them,” he continued. “We are meant to suffocate them. We also saw that their goalkeeper is very good, making eight saves in their previous game [against Bayelsa Queens]. We are critically going to be very sharp in terms of chances that we create and make sure we convert them to make things easier for us.”
On her part, captain Zanele Nhlapho is upbeat about her side getting a win but still admits they will face an uneasy challenge against Mazembe.
“It was a bit tough in our first game but we gradually adjusted to try to play our normal football in the second match. Mazembe is one of the strongest teams in our group, so we have to go out there and do our best,” said the 31-year-old defender.
“It’s not going to be an easy one for us but mentally, we are ready and willing to win. We are very focused and looking forward to the match.”
Source: CAFOnline.com
