Namibia’s African Stars are determined to get a positive result from the first leg of their African Champions League second round clash against Orlando Pirates on Saturday, coach Gerald Guther told local media.
Stars host Pirates in the opening leg at the National Stadium in Gaborone because there are no stadia in Namibia up to the standard required for international competition by the Confederation of African Football.
“Our objective is to compete for a victory in Gaborone and put ourselves in the strongest possible position ahead of the return match in Johannesburg,” said Guther, who has replaced former Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronnie Kanalelo as the coach after Kanalelo left to take over struggling Marumo Gallants in the Betway Premiership.
The second leg will be at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto next Friday, 23 and the winner of the tie advances to the lucrative group phase of the continent’s top club competition.
“We know the challenge that awaits us away from home, so we will approach Saturday’s match with ambition, discipline and a clear determination to get a positive result,” Guther told the Namibian newspaper on Thursday.
Stars upset Mangasport of Gabon in the first round, after which Kanalelo quit, and because the Namibian league does not kick off until next weekend, Guther has had no official games in charge of the team.
But he said he had increased the intensity of training in a bid to be fit for the clash.
“Orlando Pirates have already played 14 competitive matches this season, so they have considerable match rhythm and while losing a final (the MTN8 against Sundowns in Durban last Saturday) is undoubtedly disappointing, a team of their quality will be mentally prepared to respond,” Guther said.
“We cannot base our approach on their previous result. Our focus is on ourselves, our preparation and how we can compete effectively,” he added.