Having seen Orlando Pirates lose 2-1 to Cape Town Spurs in the DStv Premiership at the DHL Stadium on Wednesday has given hopes that Richards Bay can get something too from the Soweto giants.
Bay will host Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It will be a double-header at the 2010 FIFA World Cup venue, as that game will be followed by AmaZulu hosting Golden Arrows later in the other quarter-final of the same competition.
But Spurs, who flew out of the blocks against Pirates to score two goals to register their first league win of the season in their ninth attempt, has given Bay that they can do the same thing against the same opponents.
“When you play such games, if you take your chances, if you have an opportunity to win the game, then you can beat anybody, you can be able to manage the game,” Tembo told iDiski Times at the club’s training venue in Richards Bay.
“Scoring is the most important thing. When you score goals, you can be able to manage the game, you can be able to protect [the goals scored] knowing that you have something in there.
“But when you are always chasing the game, then that becomes a problem.
“So playing against Pirates, I think we need to try and score first and be able to manage the game. Even if they score first, it’s a cup game [you have nothing to lose] we still have to keep going.”
Bay, though, have some injury troubles as Sanele Barns could not train after picking up a knock, while was Mpho Mathebula, who is on his way back from a long-term injury, also sat out.
Justice Figuareido is another player, who is injured, and Tembo said the eSwatini international is set to be back after the FIFA World Cup qualifying break that is coming this month.
“Justice’s not fully fit for this game, he is still about a week away from starting training,” said Tembo.
“Now he is in rehab to return to training on the sidelines, so he hasn’t started training with the rest of the team. So he is still away.
“Probably we can get him after the FIFA break because we got two games in a very short space of time (with Stellenbosch FC away on Tuesday after Pirates match on Saturday).
“So there is not enough time for him to make it in the team.”
But Bay will be boosted by the return of Sinethemba Mngomezulu, who was sent off against Polokwane City in October, in what was his first start of the season.
