Simba S.C. coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa has insisted that his side hold a crucial advantage over Kaizer Chiefs in their CAF Champions League quarter-final clash.
The French manager took over the Tanzanian giants in January and has since lost just one of his 16 games in charge – a group stage defeat to Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly – while winning 12 and drawing three.
However, despite the defeat Simba qualified as heads of Group A ahead of Al Ahly and will now face Chiefs, who made the knockout stages of the competition for a first time ever.
Kerr Believes Chiefs Will Beat Simba
Gomes stated that Amakhosi will not be an easy opponent, despite their domestic struggles, but insisted his side have the advantage of playing the first leg away from home.
“We are very excited, I think it’s a good draw, it will be a very good match against Kaizer Chiefs because they are good and Simba is very good this season,” he told the club’s media department.
“So we’re very excited and for sure we’ll play the first match in South Africa so we have to be ready, it’s an advantage for us – so we’ll see.
“For sure it will be a very tough match at this level of the competition, all the teams are strong and we respect Kaizer Chiefs.”
Gomes, though, also revealed that his side have huge plans and want to go far in this year’s competition.
“We’re very ambitious, we want to go far in this competition like I said, we are ready to play Chiefs twice and after that we are qualified for the semi-final, we will play against the winner of Wydad Casablanca and Mouloudia Club d’Alger.
“It could also be a very tough match, but we [don’t] have the time to think about this semi-final, firstly we have to focus on the quarters because it will not be easy.
“In this competition, I’m completely convinced that Simba this season can go very far.”
Simba currently lead the Ligi kuu Bara by four points over Young Africans, having two games in hand.
They will face Amakhosi at the FNB Stadium on 14 May before hosting them in Tanzania on 21 May.
