Stars ready to cut Dynamos' power

Ketjijere poised for CAF encounter
African Stars captain Ronald 'Stigga' Ketjijere has expressed confidence in his teammates ahead of their CAF Champions League preliminary round against Zambia's Power Dynamos in South Africa.
  • 9 Months Ago 18 August 2023
African Stars' journey in this year’s CAF Champions League preliminary round begins on Saturday at 15:00 with a fierce battle expected to take place against Power Dynamos at the Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Having arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday, the team is reportedly in high spirits in anticipation of this crucial match.

Stars will be led by their skipper, Ronald Ketjijere, who is expected to offer inspiration to his teammates ahead of this high-profile encounter.

"Preparations for this competition have been going well, and we can’t really complain.

"We had our first training session in Johannesburg yesterday, and I must say that the team looks good.

"We have a few players who will be missing due to registration and injury, but the guys that are here are ready to play," the coach said.

Ready and confident

Ketjijere said: "We just need to get a win by hook or by crook because we know that it is going to be tough in Zambia due to the home ground advantage they will have."

It will be a baptism of fire in CAF Champions League football for many in the Stars team, but the ‘Reds’ are not lacking confidence after a good preseason campaign.

The tie will not be decided in South Africa given that both teams still have the second leg to play in Zambia next weekend, but a good start will give the winners an advantage.

African Stars would have hoped to play in front of their faithful, but Namibia's facilities are not up to Fifa's required standards.

The 2022/23 Debmarine Namibia Premiership Champions will have to do it all on foreign soil.

Tough opponents

African Stars will also be aware that they are facing a team that has won the Zambian Premier League seven times.

The Zambians will be encouraged by the fact that the playing field in Johannesburg will be level, given that it is neutral ground.

Their recent success came this year, when they lifted the trophy for the seventh time.

Power Dynamos did not only triumph in Zambia this season, but they made sure that they won the league with a 13-point gap.

The team that wins the two-legged tie will then face Simba FC in the second round of the competition.