Young Africans head coach Pedro Goncalves has vowed a stronger performance when his side hosts Al Ahly at the New Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar on Saturday.
The Tanzanian giants are seeking revenge after a 2-0 defeat to the Egyptian champions in their opening Group B clash in Cairo last weekend. A victory in Matchday 4 would see Yanga level on points with Al Ahly.
“The team is ready, sure we have some setbacks, some players are injured and cannot be ready for the match, but as always, we are saying, we have a big squad, and everybody is fighting for the opportunity to play,” Goncalves told Pan-African Football.
“So, yes, we are ready. I feel we are ready to do a good performance, we know absolutely the power of our opponents. They are the club of the century in Africa, so we respect Al Ahly a lot, but we believe in our capacity, in our development, and we are confident in the game.”
Reflecting on the group stage so far, Goncalves added: “When this group was drawn, each team knew they were in a difficult group, we as Young Africans our job is to fight each team to put ourselves in a good place.
“We should be better, careful and ready to play good football to be in a good place. Regarding the match, the first meeting, we played well, but we made a few mistakes which Al Ahly used to punish us. We have to show our growth and quality too to win.”
The former Angolan tactician confirmed that on-field preparations are complete, with the team now focusing on final match-day strategies.
