Football: African Champions League-St Michel await Young Buffaloes with open arms |24 December 2010
Although he refused to read much into predictions that his team had been handed a rather easy draw against the Swazi champions, coach Ralph ‘Tiapout’ Jean-Louis said:
"We know very little about them. We have a good chance of going past the preliminary round. Playing away first will surely give us the edge over them, and hopefully we can overcome them to earn some more respect.
“All this depends on how hungry the players are for victory and what they want to achieve from the African Champions League.”
Coach Jean-Louis’ players have been doing gym training and playing basketball and handball twice weekly since December 4 before they go into pre-season training on January 4.
It is expected that St Michel will hold an overseas training camp to put the players in the right frame of mind for the away fixture, but the final decision on the camp is yet to be taken by management.
Swaziland’s Young Buffaloes should not be confused with Green Buffaloes of Zambia, whom St Michel met in the second round of the old Confederation of African Football (Caf) Cup in 2003, losing 1-6 on aggregate score. Philip Zialor scored St Michel’s only goal in the two-leg encounter.
In the Swazi press, army side Young Buffaloes’ spokesman Nhlanhla Mabuza said that getting St Michel in the preliminary round is a very good draw.
He added that they will be taking their maiden continental campaign seriously and, as a result, their players will not break for the festive holidays.
“I am sure that the standard in Seychelles is not that much higher than ours – if it is higher at all. It is a very good draw and we hope to hoist the country’s flag high.
“We have a very good technical bench headed by Ace, and we are working hand in hand with them as the management. We will only release our players to be with their families on Christmas Day, but after that it will be back to hard work because we have a friendly match lined up for Boxing Day,” he said.
Mabuza added that they have complete faith in the players to do their country proud.
“Despite it being our first time, the players we have are experienced. Most have played for Sihlangu, so I do not foresee a problem,” he said.
The first leg clash will be played on the weekend of January 28-30, 2011 in Swaziland, while the second leg is scheduled for the weekend of February 11-13 at Stad Linite – a venue where St Michel have won seven times, scoring 21 goals in 17 matches.
The winners on aggregate score after the two legs will meet either Zesco United of Zambia or Liga Muculmana of Mozambique in the first round, to be played in March and April.
G. G.