Supersport United interim coach Kaitano Tembo is banking on home advantage to propel them past Gor Mahia in the CAF Confederation Cup playoffs return match Wednesday.
Gor are taking a slender 1-0 first leg win into the game but Tembo is buoyant his charges can turn the tables with the home support behind them at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria.
“Such tournaments require you to be clinical at home because it’s difficult to getting a result away. If you don’t win your home games then you can simply forget because when you go away, you need to somehow manage the game and be extra careful which doesn’t allow you to play your normal game,” the Zimbabwe-born told Cafonline.
“They have the advantage at the moment and they will most likely sit back and want to catch us on the break. We need to try to break them while at the same time ensure we don’t give away anything,” he added.
To go past Gor, who are unbeaten in the Kenyan Premier League after seven matches and boast one of the meanest defenses in the topflight, Supersport, who finished runners-up in the Confederation Cup, last year, will need to score two clear goals.
They will have to dig deeper and better their poor domestic form to achieve this.
The “Matsatsantsa” as they are nicknamed are yet to score a goal since edging Petro de Luanda of Angola 2-1 in the Confederation Cup round of 32 four matches ago and are winless in their past seven league outings.
They are currently embroiled in a fierce battle for survival with only three matches left to the end of the current South Africa’s domestic league.
Tembo’s opposite equal Dylan Kerr is calling on his charges to be confident as Supersport are still advantaged in the tie.
“The tie is far from over and I think the advantage is still with them. I have told the players that the destiny is in their hands. They have 90 minutes to make themselves heroes. They have to be confident and believe that that everything we have done in training will bear fruit,” Kerr said.
The Malta-born Englishman rested most of the players who did duty in the first leg of the Supersport tie in their last KPL win (1-0) against Wazito mid last week and hopes they will be fresh to finish the job in Pretoria.
Gor were scheduled to travel Monday but had to cancel their travel arrangements due to visa hitch.
The team will finally fly out tonight but without two dependable players namely Ivorian Emphrem Guikan and Rwandan striker Jacques Tuyisenge, who failed to secure the crucial travel documents.
The aggregate winner will make the tournament’s groups stage.
