African Stars confident ahead of Orlando Pirates CAF Champions League tie

African Stars coach Gerald Guther says his side have prepared thoroughly for Orlando Pirates and are ready to compete in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second round preliminary stage in Gaborone, Botswana, today at 15:00.

The match will be played at the National Stadium in Gaborone, which has recently been approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host matches.

Namibian champions African Stars are unable to play the tie at home because they do not have an approved venue. Despite the change of location, Guther believes his squad have done enough preparation to approach the contest with confidence.

“It’s obviously not the only game that we’ve watched. I think they are a very organised and disciplined team. They have a very good coach, they do very good work on the field and I think that we prepared ourselves accordingly,” Guther said.

“We tried to have a look at where we can have a go at them and we just gonna take it to the match.”

Guther’s assessment is based on his team’s preparations for a Pirates side he considers well coached and highly structured. African Stars will now look to apply that work when the two teams meet in the opening leg.

Ketjijere draws on previous experience

African Stars captain Roinald Ketjijere brings considerable experience to the tie, having also captained the Namibian national team.

The defender is an admitted attorney of the High Court and has previously played club football in South Africa for AmaTuks.

African Stars and Orlando Pirates last faced each other in 2019, when the Buccaneers came out on top. The first leg was played in Soweto and ended 0-0, before Pirates won the return match 1-0.

Ketjijere says African Stars recognise the quality and professionalism of their opponents, but will not be intimidated by them.

“We understand that Pirates is a quality team, playing in a very professional setup as well compared to where we come from or where we play. Of course we respect them and we don’t fear them,” Ketjijere said.

“With the youngsters that are with them, I played them in 2019, I think in the second preliminary stage of a CAF competition as well. We played them, the first leg was in Soweto and we drew 0-0, they only managed to beat us 1-0.

“The experiences were good and as an experienced player that has played in that stage previously obviously we are going to motivate the boys not to be fearful because if you are calm then you are able to play our football and display what Namibian football is about.”