Young Africans manager Nasreddine Nabi says his team will put behind their 2-0 CAF Confederation Cup semi-final first-leg lead over Marumo Gallants when both sides square off for the return leg at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Wednesday.
Goals from Burkinabe forward Stephane Aziz Ki and Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison gave the Tanzanian giants the lead ahead of the second leg, setting up the potential of a first-ever appearance in a CAF club competition final.
Marumo Gallants have made big history by reaching the semi-finals in their continental debut and the club has offered free entry for its fans for Wednesday’s fixture in Rustenburg.
While a packed house could play to the South African outfit’s advantage, Nabi does not see it as a disadvantage for his team but rather something his team is prepared for.
“It is their choice to open the stadium. We have played in front of big crowds of opponents in this tournament, so it won’t be anything new,” the Tunisian tactician stated.
“We have played with all the background noise and won those games. For us, we prefer playing in front of a big crowd than an empty stadium.”
Nabi is however not carried away by Young Africans’ advantage and sees the second leg as a fresh start for his team.
“We are very much aware of the advantage that we have but right now, our focus is on the game that we are yet to play because in football, anything can change and certainly, we are putting the advantage behind us,” Nabi said.
“We know the quality of the opponents and we respect them, and we will make sure that we start afresh and put last week’s game behind us.”
Set your alarm for the #TotalEnergiesCAFCC semi-finals 2nd leg!
Check the timings below ???? pic.twitter.com/qSoKNDeZeN
— TotalEnergies CAFCL – TotalEnergies CAFCC ???? (@CAFCLCC) May 16, 2023
Wednesday’s other semi-final will see Ivory Coast’s ASEC Mimosas tackle USM Alger of Algeria, the game tied at 0-0 after the first leg result in Abidjan.
Watch the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final second leg LIVE on AFROSPORT TV across Nigeria, channel 730 on Free TV and stream online via Vidivu TV, Facebook and TikTok.
