Silver Strikers say they will fight for a win this afternoon when they host Young Africans (Yanga) of Tanzania in the preliminary round first leg of the CAF Champions League at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe to ease the pressure ahead of the return match.
The Bankers head coach Etson Kadenge Mwafulirwa acknowledged in an interview that they will have an ace up their sleeve if they win today’s showdown.
“We are playing at home and it is an advantage because we have the 12th player [the fans], which is a motivation.”
“On top of that, if you win the first leg, it takes off some pressure and, instead, pressure mounts on the other end.
“It’s always tricky playing away because a number of factors such as a hostile atmosphere and unfamiliar territory, come into play.”
Nevertheless, Mwafulirwa said they are prepared to fight every inch of the way regardless of the result in the first leg.
He said: “We are up against a very good side with quality players.
“They are a team we cannot afford to underrate, but that is a motivation on its own for our boys because it gives them a chance to make a name on the big stage.”
Mwafulirwa reiterated that they have done their homework on their opponents.
“After all is said and done, we are ready for the match, we are geared.”
Silver’s captain Chikondi Kamanga said the players are in high spirits.
“We are ready, we are aiming to win tomorrow’s [today’s] match. We know they are a good side, but we are determined to take them on,” he said.
“They are the champions [in Tanzania] and we are also champions here. So, it will be a match between two big teams.”
On the other hand, during a pre-match press conference yesterday, Yanga French coach Romain Folz said they are also prepared.
“Our preparations are going on well, we always prepare with the same level of commitment and dedication.
“We did our best to prepare with the players that were available during the international break as best as possible.”
On playing the first leg away, Folz said: “We always do a lot of research on our opponents be it locally or internationally so that we know as much as we can. We did a lot, including video analysis.
“We know everything that we need to know, we have everything. As regards [Silver’s strengths and weaknesses], much as it is an interesting question, I am not going to tackle that.”
To qualify for the second preliminary round, Silver ousted Malagasy side Elgeco Plus on away goal rule after playing out a one-all draw away in Mauritius and a goalless draw at home.
On the other hand, Yanga booted out Angolan side Williete 5-0 on aggregate after winning 3-0 away and 2-0 at home.
Yanga have 13 players who play for different national teams, including Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Mali, Zimbabwe, Guinea and Chad, but Mwafulirwa said they are not losing sleep with that.
