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Mdaka wants more from Gallants in return leg of Confed Cup quarterfinal
'We expect to put more in when we play against them on Sunday,' said the Gallants mentor.
Marumo Gallants coach Raymond Mdaka. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Marumo Gallants coach Raymond Mdaka would have much rather beaten Pyramids away from home in the first leg of their Caf Confederation Cup quarterfinal.
The game ended 1-1 in Cairo as Gallants conceded a last-gasp penalty. However, the Bahlabane Ba Ntwa coach was happy with the performance of his team. And he expects his charges to put more effort into the second leg, to be played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.
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“We wanted a win so that when we come back home we could have an easy game and to the semifinals. We got a draw, but if you look at the game, we should have won it. Either way, it was a good game. We expect to put more in when we play against them on Sunday,” said the Gallants mentor.
With a spot in the semifinals up for grabs, Mdaka has a clean bill of health in his squad.
“We don’t have any injuries. But, it’s rather the question of travelling which we have been managing very well. The players are okay, they have rested well. We also had a recovery session and now we are preparing for the game.”
While the team is doing well in the continental competition, there is still a bit of concern.
The Limpopo based team are battling to survive relegation in the DStv Premiership. Gallants are in 14th spot on log with 28 points, with only three points separating them with bottom of the table side Maritzburg United, whom they face in a league clash after the Confed Cup match.
Keep believing
Mdaka adds that they won’t worry much about that clash. Instead, they just have to make sure that they keep their players believing that they can survive the chop.
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“We don’t have to put ourselves under pressure and try to come with special things for that game (Maritzburg). We know it’s in our fixture, we just have to work more with boys so that they remain positive,” he added.
“They should also maintain the same character … and take the game like any other game we play.”
