Kaizer Chiefs defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele admits the Caf Confederation Cup is not the easiest tournament to play in but says the players are prepared to fight their way through to the group stages of the competition.
The Soweto giants kick-off their journey in the cup when they battle Zanzibar’s Zimamoto in a preliminary round of the event at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday.
Chiefs were dumped out of the Telkom Knockout Cup by Orlando Pirates at the weekend after going down 2-1 and will be searching for redemption.
Mphahlele said the players have put that result behind them. “Everybody in the camp is positive we are trying to forget about the match and move forward. We have another chapter to start which everyone is looking forward to. We want to do well in this competition. We want to go as far as we can,” the player said.
“It’s important also as Kaizer Chiefs (that) we do well in continental tournaments. We are looking forward to the game. We know that we are playing against a strong team from Tanzania.
“We are playing at home and we want to get the result so that when we go to Tanzania it (won’t) be a mountain to climb. So we will do anything to win this match.
“We know it’s going to be difficult as we have seen a couple of their clips.
“They are very good, organised side and are a very gifted team so we will give them the respect they deserve but we want to win the game.”
The last time the Glamour Boys took part in the competition was back in 2014 when they were knocked out by Asec Mimosas in the playoffs.
“Caf is not an easy tournament to play but we want to give it a try, we want to do well in this competition. I think we have a chance, we have a good squad and a very good team to compete.
“We have not played in Caf for the past few seasons. We are embarking on this journey as a team and we are very excited, we are all looking forward to compete in Africa.
“It’s existing times for us because it’s a different ball game. The football in Africa is different, the logistics and the travelling we just need to try and manage it and be strong going into this tournament.”..