African Stars coach Guther demands fearless approach against Orlando Pirates

African Stars coach Gerald Guther says his side must show confidence rather than fear when they face Orlando Pirates in a decisive CAF Champions League tie.

The Namibian club arrived in South Africa knowing they have a difficult task ahead after losing the first leg 1-0. Only a victory against the Soweto side will keep African Stars’ continental campaign alive.

Guther believes his players are capable of overcoming the challenge, provided they trust their preparation and perform with conviction.

“Look, we have to come in here with confidence. We can’t walk in here and be intimidated by the opponent,” Guther told journalists.

“We do respect them 100 percent, but we can’t come in here and show any type of fear.”

The coach acknowledged the quality of Orlando Pirates, describing them as a highly organised and well-prepared team. However, he said African Stars had also worked extensively on their own tactical approach since arriving in South Africa.

“They are an extremely well-organised and trained team. We also train very hard. We work a lot on our play, how we play, how we set up,” he said.

“So I do fancy our chances because we have to come out here and keep everything on the field.”

Concentration key after first-leg defeat

Guther identified concentration as the main area African Stars needed to improve after the opening match.

The Namibian side were beaten by a single goal in the first meeting, and the coach said his players must remain focused throughout the return fixture against a team of Pirates’ stature.

“The lessons from the first game, definitely, our level of concentration on the field,” he added.

“We know that we are playing a big team and we need to be sharp during that period to make sure that our concentration is on the top form.”

Despite the first-leg result, Guther said the performance had convinced him that African Stars could compete with Orlando Pirates.

“Lessons that we’ve learned is that we are a team that is capable of really competing and I feel confident that we can bring this here on Friday night,” he said.

The coach stressed that his players would need to maintain their discipline and concentration for the full 90 minutes if they are to overturn the deficit.

“We just have to be sharp and concentrate during the 90 minutes and see where this will take us.”