06 May 2015

The national Under 23 head coach, Keitumetse Paul, says this team will play a cautious game against Kenya this weekend.

The Young Zebras are taking a healthy lead to Nairobi for the second leg of the Under 23 African Championship qualifiers this Saturday (May 9). The Young Zebras drubbed Kenya 3-0 in the first leg played in Lobatse.

Paul said they would strive to contain Kenya and would rather settle for a draw than opening up in an away territory.  However, he insisted that their priority was to win the game and advance to the second round of the qualifiers.

He explained that they would be looking to halt the Young Harambee Stars from playing. “We have speedy wingers that can counter-attack. We will remain compact, disciplined and play with open minds,” said Paul.

As preparation for the match, the Young Zebras played a friendly game against Mochudi Centre Chiefs which they won 4 -2.  Paul said he was happy with the performance displayed by the boys in that match, adding that the midfield was looking strong.

He said he was happy that premier league teams had been releasing their players to attend the camp even though the league was nearing its end and some teams were fighting to avoid relegation.

The coach said he was not worried by the injury sustained by Tapiwa Gadibolae in the opening minutes of the first leg match and expressed confidence that they had capable replacements if the midfielder failed to recuperate in time.

Striker Onkabetse Makgantai said they were prepared to take on Kenya. “We are going to continue where we left off and win the tie. We will make sure we don’t concede a goal in the first half of the game and we are united as a team,” Makgantai said. ENDS