YOUNG Africans coach Nasreddine Nabi said his squad is in full swing and ready for a fierce battle with Marumo Gallants in a decisive CAF Confederation Cup semifinal match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in South Africa today.
It is a second-leg match of the competition hence the overall winner books a ticket to the final and both sides are looking forward to making a debut to it.
Yanga have one leg in the final after a sweaty 2-0 win in their first leg encounter at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium last Wednesday as such, they have to clear Gallants hurdle to make a breakthrough.
“We have to be at our best in order to achieve our target of cruising into the final, though we are aware that the match is going to be difficult but we are ready to fight,” Nabi said.
He also remarked that the last victory should not be absorbed by players because this is a fresh match that has got another 90 minutes to play.
“We need to fully concentrate on the game at hand without looking at the previous results and I am sure we can advance to the finals if we take the game much serious,” he said.
On his part, Marumo Gallants coach Dylan Kerr told the press that their side is ready for return leg insisting it will be a tough duel.
“This is the best moment for us to come up and show that we are ready to reach the final. We are already two goals down but that should not deter us from believing in ourselves,” he said.
Moreover, the former Simba coach said they are better-placed to use well the home-ground advantage saying they have what it takes to overturn the two-goal deficit, urging his players to stay focused throughout the match.
Yanga have had the best form in this year’s inter-club competition as from the group stage they scored 13 goals and conceded four times. In the quarterfinals stage they have not conceded any goal.
On the other hand, Marumo Gallants scored 12 goals in the group stage and conceded 10 goals. In their two-legged quarterfinals clash versus Pyramids, Gallants stamped a 2-1 aggregate victory to step into the semifinals.
