Red Arrows head coach Chisi Mbewe has challenged his players to maintain defensive compactness and take their scoring chances when they face Kaizer Chiefs in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second-round tie on Friday.
The Airmen travel to South Africa with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, played at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola last Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 18:00 hours.
Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, Mbewe reminded his players of the challenge awaiting them in the return leg, emphasising the need for mental strength, caution and clinical finishing away from home.
“I think we know that it’s not going to be an easy game. We are playing away from home. As we travel to South Africa with an advantage, I think the most important thing is we need to have strong mental strength. We need to be cautious and, again, utilize the chances that we are going to create,” he said.
Mbewe wants defensive discipline
Mbewe said defensive organisation would be crucial, warning his players against complacency as they seek to secure a place in the group stage of the competition.
“I think the mood has been high from the team, the players, and the technical staff. I think everyone has been reminding the team not to be complacent because we have only played the first half of the game, and we are going to South Africa to play the second half,” Mbewe said.
He noted that Red Arrows created several opportunities in Ndola but failed to convert many of them, an issue the technical bench has been working to address ahead of Friday’s encounter.
“We created a lot of chances in the first leg, and we wasted a lot of chances. So this is the area that we have been working on. We put a lot of focus on ensuring that we are compact, like I mentioned, when we are defending, we are well organized,” he said.
Mbewe expects Kaizer Chiefs to apply pressure in front of their home supporters as they attempt to overturn the deficit, making defensive discipline, concentration and clinical finishing essential for the Zambian side as they seek to progress to the group stage.
