Prince George Koffie, the head coach of the African Stars, has ruled out the possibility that the Power Dynamos fans may intimidate his squad during the CAF Champions League preliminary second leg match.
African Stars are leading the Zambian champions 2-1 on aggregate following Saturday’s first leg match in South Africa. The two sides will meet at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Saturday for the deciding tie.
The Namibian champions will qualify to the next round of the competition if they force a barren draw against Power Dynamos in Ndola.
Koffie stated that the players will be prepared mentally for the match against Power Dynamos this Saturday.
“No, not at all. When we went to Botswana for instance, we played against Township Rollers, their fans came in their numbers. That didn’t affect us, we beat them 2 goals to nil,” Koffie said. “I don’t think it will affect us at all, it all boils down to mental toughness. Our boys will be able to stand the test of time.”
He adds that pressure will be on Power Dynamos as the home team. “When we go to Ndola, they will be under pressure because their fans will be expecting them to beat us with a huge score,”.
“We are going to stick to our game plan though our structure will change. It is an away game, we need not concede but put the goal in their net.”
The Ghanaian experienced gaffer is optimistic African Stars will contain Power Dynamos and qualify to the next round of the competition.
“We are working on power, placement and finishing from the flanks,” he stated. However, there are injury concerns for the team going into the second leg.
“Power Dynamos injured our players”-Karamatha.
African Stars Medical officer Eddy Putji Karamatha has revealed that three players have suffered minor injuries from the first leg.
“We picked up some slight injury from the previous game. Those guys were hard on our players and the referee wasn’t our side. We have got midfield players and one striker that were injured,” Karamatha said. “Our goalkeeper also picked up a heavy flu, but we have been handling it.”
According to Karamatha, the players are being treated by the medical staff and should recover from their injuries in time for the match on Saturday.
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The injured players include Ghanaian striker Peter Adiwoh, midfielder Romario Ndjavera and goalkeeper Ndisiro Kamaijanda.