‘WE WILL BEAT BUFFALOES 2-0’

MANZINI – They mean business. Two-times CAF Confederation Cup winners Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia are not shaken that they will be minus three key players when they face Young Buffaloes in the first leg of the tournament today.

The 2007 and 2015 champions in this tournament will be playing without their first- choice goalkeeper Rami Gabsi, who tested positive for COVID-19 while two others Ben and Nas are recovering from the virus.

Former Tottenham Hotspurs’ striker, Souleymane Coulibaly declared confidently that they were going to win the game in honour of their missing players. 

lock horns

The Tunisian side will lock horns with the army giants this afternoon at the Mavuso Sports Centre and kickoff time is 3pm. 

This is the same team that beat Mbabane Swallows 5-0 in a two-legged match played in 2018 during the CAF Champions League. They won 3-0 at Somhlolo National Stadium and completed a 2-0 win at their own backyard.

Worth noting is that this game is in danger of being cancelled due to torrential rainfall expected today. According to weather predictions, there is 95 per cent chance of rain from 3pm kickoff time until 5pm.

“We are ready for this game and what gives us advantage over our opponents is the fact that we have been active while football is suspended here. I am positive we will win this game 2-0,” he said.

The striker was quick to point out though that they will not be taking their opponents lightly in this game.

“There are no minnows in Africa, all the teams are good so we will not underrate them but we will try to win the first leg by all means. Winning the tournament again will not be easy but we will take it one game at a time,” he said.

Assistant coach Aymen Habibi said they don’t have a choice but to win against Buffaloes.

“Etoile is a big team in Africa and we take this game seriously. There are no easy games in Africa and we have to put 100 per cent effort to win. We will hopefully get positive results,” he said.

The coach further stated that they respected Buffaloes and pointed out that playing on a wet surface will not be a concern for them as they were used to playing in such conditions.

do an inspection

The match officials from Comoros are expected to do an inspection on the Mavuso pitch before the start of the game to determine if the playing surface is fit to host the game.

The Tunisian giants come into this game on the back of five straight domestic league wins and in three of those games, they won scoring not less than two goals. 

They beat Rejiche 0-2 on January 24, handing the same medicine to Guerdane with a 2-1 win on February 3 before recording the same scoreline win against Olympique Beja on February 7. The Tunisians are booked at Hilton Garden Inn in the capital city.

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