Johannesburg - AmaZulu midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula believes that it is imperative that his side does not concede early in their Caf Champions League match against ES Setif at the Stade du 5 Juillet in Algeria on Saturday night.
A win for Usuthu, who have won their last two Champions League games, will inch them closer to qualification to the knockout rounds. A defeat will throw the group wide open and could even see Setif leapfrogging them into second place.
“We need to maintain the high tempo and watch how they come at us. We just need to make sure that we take our chances because chances will always be there. We need to try and hit them on the counter because they will be trying to win the game. We also need to try and win because that will give us a better chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals,” said Makhaula.
AmaZulu’s league form has been contrasting to their form in the Champions League so far. They have struggled to emulate their heroics from last season domestically as they finished second last term, their highest-ever finish in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era.
Domestically, they currently find themselves in eighth place and have not won in their last four league games. They enter the game against Setif on the back of a frustrating 2-0 loss to SuperSport United.
The game against Matsatsantsa also featured two rookie errors from Usuthu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa which cost his side two goals.
Makhaula believes that despite the frustrating results, his team is playing well. The defensive midfielder also believes that the entire team should take responsibility for the goals conceded, not just Mothwa.
“We created many chances but we just did not have a good day. They (SuperSport) did not create too many chances as well. We made two mistakes and did not cover our goalkeeper (Mothwa) properly.
“He (Mothwa) did a lot for us last season and even this season. If it was not for him I don’t think we would have reached the group stage of the Champions League. We are 100 percent behind Mothwa and we know that everything will be okay,” said Makhaula.
AmaZulu can now fully focus their energy on the Champions League as their next three fixtures are set to be continental. They are due to return to domestic action next month when they take on Baroka FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on April 6.