AmaZulu captain Makhehleni Makhaula is hopeful that their home ground advantage will offer a solid backbone as they seek to hunt for a historic place in the quarter finals of the CAF Champions League.
Usuthu take on Group B leaders Raja Club Athletic at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday, focus being on three points to keep their hunt alive.
AmaZulu are placed third in the group with six points after four matches while Raja are top of the group with nine points and are also looking for positive results down south to confirm their place in the last eight.
Benni McCarthy’s side has so far collected maximum points in both matches they have hosted in the tournament and Makhaula is hopeful they will continue this rich vein of form at home for a chance to book a place in the quarter finals.
“Being used to the ground, training in the same ground makes a huge difference. Although playing at home will still be difficult it will be a big advantage for us. All we need to do is score first to make it easier for us to control the game,” Makhaula said.
The 32-year-old says although their inaugural participation in the Champions League is also a learning curve to the club, they still want to leave an impression in the continental competition.
“Qualifying for the knockout stages will be very important because it will elevate our football. It will be good for us to be in the quarter finals so that the continent will see that South African teams can compete and play. It will be good to have South African teams get to the final,” he adds.
Raja were victorious when the two sides met in Casablanca in the first leg, winning 1-0.
Source:CAF
