With nothing to lose, Mighty Wanderers have vowed to turn the heat on Simba Sports Club (SC) in this afternoon’s CAF Champions League first preliminary round second leg at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The Nomads go into the battle with their backs to the wall having lost the first leg 0-1 in the first home leg at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe last Sunday.
But the Nomads’ interim gaffer McDonald ‘Nginde’ Mtetemera said they are determined to turn the tables.
Sounding ice-cool in a pre-match interview, he said: “Based on the home work we have had, I have no reason to doubt our capabilities, we will sail through. We are ready.”
The coach said they will be in attack mode so as to get an early goal that could unsettle the hosts.
“We have nothing to lose and we have designed a strategy that will help us achieve our goal if we execute our game plan to perfection,” said Mtetemera with a boyish grin.
The Nomads mentor also said they expect an intimidating atmosphere from the home fans, ‘but we have prepared the boys psychologically “.
He also hinted at ringing a few changes to suit their game plan
“Yes, there we will make one or two changes to the team that started at home, but there’s no reason to worry for the Nomads family, we will deliver,” he said.
The Nomads are expected to start youthful striker Lameck Mithi and Promise Kamwendo as twin strikers with Blessings Singini and Felix Zulu keeping to the engines running in midfield while Gaddie Chirwa and Isaac Kaliyati will orchestrate play from the.wings.
On the other hand, his Simba SC counterpart Steve Barker has warned his players against complacency.
Simba secured a narrow first leg win courtesy of Ivorian forward Anicet Oura’s strike.
Barker believes it is not enough to guarantee progression to the next round.
“It’s far from over and we expect Mighty Wanderers to come full force as they have nothing to lose and a team in that situation can be dangerous,” he was quoted as saying by The Citizen.
The Simba coach says the technical bench has already conducted a detailed assessment of the first encounter, identifying areas where the team performed well as well as weaknesses that must be addressed before the return match.
“We have to assess our game, look at where we did well and where we need to improve. There is no room for mistakes,” said Barker.
The coach has, therefore, demanded intensity, discipline and concentration from his charges.
“I want my players to approach the second leg as a fresh challenge rather than simply defending our narrow aggregate lead,” he said
Barker said their objective is to control the match from the opening whistle, avoid unnecessary pressure and take their opportunities when they arise.
