The Kagera Sugar tactician feels the Msimbazi giants have a quality squad capable of overturning their heavy defeat against Amakhosi
Kenya coach Francis Baraza is confident Simba SC have a great opportunity to overturn the result they suffered in the first leg when they host Kaizer Chiefs in the Caf Champions League on Saturday.
The Msimbazi giants will face a tall order to reverse a 4-0 defeat suffered at FNB Stadium in South Africa last weekend and it was their heaviest defeat so far in the competition this campaign.
But ahead of the return leg at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Baraza, who handles Kagera Sugar in the Mainland Premier League has remained confident Simba have what it takes to overturn the result and reach the semi-finals.
“In football anything is possible, Simba have a great opportunity to overturn the result against Kaizer [Chiefs] due to their record at home as well as the type of players they have in the squad, I am confident they will achieve the fete,” Baraza told Goal on Saturday.
“Players at the club like [Clatous] Chama, Luis [Miquissone], Bernard [Morrison] and Chris [Mugalu], are some of the players who can give you results at any time due to their great potential, especially if they enter with great caution to ensure they do not concede an early goal as was the case in the first game.”
Meanwhile, Simba head coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa has revealed he has had to double-check videos of the previous game, to find out what they need to do to overturn their first result.
“I believe that if we do not repeat the mistakes and commit ourselves to the best of our ability nothing will be impossible, and we are confident we have a great opportunity to overturn the outcome,” Da Rosa told Goal.
“I don’t know what will happen on Saturday but I know we will win and we will use completely different tactics to finish the game.”
In five games they have played at Mkapa Stadium since the preliminary round this term, Simba have scored 12 goals and conceded just once.
On two occasions, they scored four goals when they beat Zimbabwean champions FC Platinum 4-0, before thrashing AS Vita 4-1 and those results might be worrisome for Chiefs.
That could give Simba confidence of a successful comeback as they need to win 4-0 and force the contest into a penalty shootout, or a 5-0 victory.
They have previously overturned a 4-0 defeat in this competition and it still stands as a 42-year comeback record in the Champions League.
The Reds of Msimbazi lost 4-0 away at Mufulira Wanderers in Zambia in the 1979 first round, first leg but they turned the tables with a 5-0 victory in the home leg to progress to the second round.
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