Amazulu coach Benni McCarthy during the 2021 CAF Champions League football match against TP Mazembe held at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 15 October. Picture: Gerhard Duraan, BackpagePix
DURBAN – AmaZulu face a possible but extremely difficult task to down TP Mazembe when they play the second leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie against the Congolese football giants at the Stade TP Mazembe on Saturday.
The teams played out to a 0-0 draw at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday and there is little doubt that Mazembe would have left South Africa as the happier side.
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Not only did the away side not concede but AmaZulu never really threatened their goal in spite of having star attackers Augustine Mulenga and Bongi Ntuli in the starting line-up.
“We looked more dangerous in the second half but it was not to be. They have more experience than us and they were just happy to get a draw. For them, it will be a massive plus that they did not concede. The way that we played today showed that we can mix up against the best teams,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy can take inspiration from their South African rivals Mamelodi Sundowns who inflicted a rare home defeat on Mazembe in a Champions League group stage fixture in March, downing them 2-1.
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“They had speed and pace. We could have got something more from the game than we did. The scores are still level and we can make it difficult for them if we score in the second leg,” said McCarthy.
Meanwhile, McCarthy will need to rotate his side smartly ahead of their away league clash against TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Usuthu could not have asked for better opponents than the Rockets at this time. Galaxy are one of only two teams that have yet to pick up a league win this season with the other being newcomers Marumo Gallants.
Usuthu have so far been unable to replicate the form that saw them finish second in the league last season, their highest ever league finish since the inception of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 1992.
They are ninth in the table, having picked up just one win from their six games played so far.
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