Red Arrows striker, James Chamanga says he is not concerned about the likelihood that TP Mazembe will have a larger crowd at Levy Mwanawasa in Ndola on Saturday when the two teams play in the CAF Champions League’s second preliminary round.
The Airmen are up against the Raven, who have won the CAF Champions League five times, and they are trying to make it to the group stages for the first time in their history.
The Zambian champions will host the DR Congo champions at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, which is about 259 KM away from Mazembe’s hometown of Lubumbashi.
Speaking prior to the match, Chamanga stated that the team’s recent success in the CECAFA Kagame Cup, which was held in Tanzania, will serve as motivation.
Chamanga says seeing more TP Mazembe fans at the Stadium will not distract them from executing the task at hand.
“We won the CECAFA without home fans” – Chamanga.
“We are capable of doing what TP Mazembe has done. They also started from scratch. We’ve given reference to where we are coming from—we have four trophies in our cabinet, one of them international. We should be confident,” Chamanga stated.
“Outnumbering their supporters is something we can’t control. But as long as we see a red jersey, even if it’s just two, those two will matter to us. We went to CECAFA without supporters, but it was enough to motivate us.”
The seasoned striker, who has assisted Red Arrows in winning two league titles, said that in order to defeat Mazembe, the home team will need to strengthen their mental toughness.
READ ALSO: Arrows seek first CAF champions League group stage qualification as they host TP Mazembe.
“An experienced team like Mazembe knows how to work on players’ minds. It’s critical that we avoid focusing on the internet and the things that people are saying about TP Mazembe’s past or beginning to undermine ourselves,” he stated.
