Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies coach Jerry Tshabalala says they know they face a big challenge when they meet Malabo Kings this evening, but remains positive.
Tshabalala believes that while they must respect the Equatorial Guinea side ahead of their TotalEnergie Women’s Champions League semi-final today, and he feels if Sundowns put the work in, they can get through this tie.
The two teams meet for the first time at El Salam Stadium in Egypt at 19:00, in the first ever Women’s Champions League.
“Malabo finished second in their group, but we can’t take them lightly, they are a very strong team,” he told iDiski Times.
“They have managed to beat Wadi Degla, they played a draw against AS Mande, so it tells you that they can score goals if we don’t close them down as quick as possible.
“They must cause us trouble, but we ready for them, we know a lot about them, we have planned quite well for them.
“We saw their big strength was the strong, they definitely need us to move the ball around very quick and have confidence on the ball and deny them that ball, especially in the middle of the park, it’s one of those things that will apply when you play against them.”
Tshabalala also added that his side is not going to sit back, but go out to attack as early as possible.
“Yeah, it’s a knockout stage we don’t have a chance to say if we draw over it goes straight to knockout you know, so basically I have let the players be free, let the players do what they think it will work out for the team,” he added.
“So we are going to go out in force, we are going to attack as early as possible. If possible, let us unsettle the mud with first goal throw the blood first and see what are they capable of, and if they still can get another one? Who knows, you might even get the third one and wrap it up.
“It’s either it’s a make it’ll make it or break it. We’re not going to rely more on defense. We got to rely more on attacking.”
