GU target progress in Confederations Cup
Nchidzi Masendu | Saturday July 29, 2023 06:00
The draw, conducted in Cairo on Tuesday, saw league champions, Jwaneng Galaxy pitted against Vipers SC from Uganda. Both GU and Galaxy face possible match-ups against South African opponents in the first round if they emerge from the preliminaries.
Supersport will play GU while Orlando Pirates will be Galaxy’s opponents should both progress from the preliminary round. GU will start at home against Elgeco on August 18 before the return leg on August 25.
After the draw, GU coach, Pontsho Moloi said his charges are ready and the goal is to make progress to the next round. “Right now, I am working on the endurance of the boys.
We started pre-season, the good thing is we did not have a long layoff season, so they have not lost a lot in terms of fitness,” he said. “We are trying to do the conditioning, their endurance and their speed endurance as well,” he added. Moloi pointed out that he is looking forward to going through to the next round. He said he wants tenacity and intensity from the players and hopes the results will be positive.
He said GU play as a unit which is their strength. Despite other players returning late due to national team duties, Moloi said he did not expect this to be a huge drawback.
This has meant that players are not at the same level in terms of fitness. Galaxy coach, Morena Ramoreboli had not responded to Mmegi Sport inquiries on the draw. Egypt’s Al Ahly are the Champions League defending champions while Tumisang Orebonye’s USM Alger from Algeria are the Confederation Cup title holders.
This year’s Champions League has attracted 54 clubs from 42 member associations, while 52 clubs representing 41 member associations will compete in the Confederation Cup.