Chicken Inn to adopt cautious approach

 

 

 

ZIMBABWE’S representatives in the 2016 CAF Champions League Chicken Inn are likely to adopt a cautious approach when they host in-form South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns in a preliminary round first leg encounter at Barbourfields on Saturday.

Gamecocks head coach Joey Antipas told journalists at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that his charges would not adopt a cavalier approach against the free scoring South African top flight championship favourites.

“Being it’s our first game we have to go out there and play a cautious game. We cannot go out and charge at them like Red Indians because Sundowns are a very brilliant side and if we take them head on they can expose us. I am not saying that we are going out there to park a bus but we are going out there with a cautious approach,” Antipas said.

 

On the threat posed by Sundowns’ attacking trio of Leonardo Castro, Khama Billiat and Keegan Dolly, the former Motor Action coach said the trick would be to try and cut the supply line to the marauding forwards.

“What we are going to try and do is to cut off the supply line because I believe those guys are good ball players and thrive on a good supply line. Without the supply line those three are not really ball winners or hard workers and if we cut the supply line it will be good for us,” Antipas said.

The Zimbabwean top flight league is in off-season and Chicken Inn prepared for the weekend tie by embarking on a tour of Zambia where they took part in a pre-season tournament that featured Zambian champions Zesco United, Zanaco and Tanzanian outfit Azam.

In their first game Chicken Inn drew 2-2 against Zanaco, then lost 3-1 to Azam before rounding off their tour of duty with a 2-0 loss to Zesco.

Sundowns on the other hand are on a roll in the Absa Premiership and have emerged as the odds on favourites to lift the 2015/16 league title.

 

Castro, Billiat and Dolly - dubbed “Pretoria CBD” – have been the driving force behind Sundowns success on the South African domestic league but the Patrice Motsepe owned outfit also boasts of an array of stars that include former Bafana Bafana star Teko Modise, the combative Hlompo Kekana and experienced Ugandan keeper Dennis Onyango.

Chicken Inn have in their ranks a number of players who were part of the Zimbabwe Warriors’ sojourn at the recent Chan Tournament in Rwanda.