Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has assured fans they are ready to fight against FC Platinum in the Caf Champions League.
The Wekundu wa Msimbazi will take on the Platinum Miners in their first-ever meeting at National Sports Stadium in Harare in the second round first leg fixture on Wednesday.
The Belgian tactician has now said the mood in the camp is very positive and they will do everything possible to get a positive result ahead of the return leg scheduled for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on January 6, 2021.
“We are ready to fight and get good results,” Vandenbroeck said as quoted by the team’s social media pages. “The players are happy to be here and we believe the fans are with us.
“We believe every fan at home will support us and we’ll put in the good work and all the efforts from our past training sessions here in Harare and come home with good results.”
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His sentiments have been echoed by defender Erasto Nyoni, who said they will come home victorious if they play according to the coach’s plans.
“We have to treat the game with a lot of caution because we respect our opponents very much,” Nyoni told the club’s social media pages. “They are a good team, they qualified to this stage after winning home and away and that shows you they are not an easy team.
“But we are prepared and ready to tackle them, we know what we want from the match, we don’t want to let Simba fans and Tanzanians back home down, we will fight to get a win, and I know if we all follow the instructions from the coach, we have a good chance of returning home with the advantage.”
Ahead of the match, Vandenbroeck confirmed they will miss the services of keeper Aishi Manula and striker John Bocco for the fixture.
“We have a few hours before the game, but it comes with bad news because we've tried everything to get Aishi [Manula] and John [Bocco] ready for the game but it’s going to be hard to be ready,” confirmed Vandenbroeck.
“[Bocco] is still in bed he's not feeling okay, [Manula] was hurt during our last league game against KMC FC and will take a week or more to be okay. So far there is a 50 percent possibility of being in the game.”
Simba travelled to Zimbabwe with a contingent of 24 players and Vandenbroeck is confident he will get replacements for the players during the first leg of their second preliminary round fixture.
“At this point, I will have to use the available players, it is the reason we have a squad of 24 players here, and I know those who will come in, will step up well and do the job that we want,” Vandenbroeck continued.
In the absence of Manula, the Belgian coach will start Ben Kakolanya between the posts while Rwanda striker Meddie Kagere will step in for Bocco.
Kagere, who scored the only goal against KMC from the penalty spot before the team left for Harare, has often been used as a substitute and he will have the chance to show what he can offer against Platinum with a starting berth.
