While Marumo Gallants may enjoy an advantage in the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round with a 3-1 lead over Elgeco Plus, defender Lebogang Mabotja has warned that the match is far from over.
Gallants will host the Madagascan side at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow at 3pm, looking to progress to the next round.
Mabotja, however, said defensively they will have to be organised as he expects their opponents to come out attacking and looking to score goals here.
“We are expecting them to come out and attack us and that means they will open up a bit as they will come to us with everything because they are trailing,” Mabotja told Sowetan yesterday.
“The good thing is that we have a two-goal advantage after we won 3-1, so they will come and open up as they will want to score. So our defensive structure will be more important where if we can defend well, we are going to progress into the next stage.”
After netting three away goals last week, Bahlabane Ba Ntwa are favorites to progress, but the full-back insists they won’t take the team for granted despite admitting that they are not a strong side.
“On our side, we believe that we will go through since we saw how they played in the first leg,” he said. “But we are not going to undermine them, hence I said if our defensive structure is good, that’s the only thing that can see us through.
“They are not a strong team and it is something that we didn’t even expect when we got there. We believe that we are stronger than them and I don’t think with the quality that we have they can come back.
“But the game of football is strange and if we can go there with the mentality that they are not strong, we can get a surprise. We have to go there and fight for a win to progress.”
Elsewhere, after playing to a goalless draw at home last weekend against Zesco United, Royal AM have a slight advantage in the second leg in Zambia tomorrow at 3pm as they will need to score one goal to progress to the next round in the Confederation Cup.
Cape Town City will need to overturn a 0-3 defeat they suffered at home to Petro de Luanda of Angola if they are to progress to the group stages of the Champions League.
The two teams will meet today at 5pm at Estadio 11 de Novembro.
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