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Bandari coach Bernard Mwalala believes the second leg of their Caf Confederation Cup first round tie against Tunisian side US Ben Guerdane away on Sunday will present the real test for his charges.
The team has been camping in Nairobi and held its final training session at the Jamhuri High School Wednesday morning before their departure later in the evening for Tunisia.
Despite carrying a 2-0 advantage heading to Tunisia, Mwalala expects a very tough match and says it is not time to pop the champagne just yet.
“The game on Sunday will even be tougher than the first leg. They (US Ben Guerdane) now know what to expect from us and I am sure they have prepared very well," Mwalala told Nation Sport.
"They will also be playing at home and have got the advantage. Despite winning the first leg 2-0, we cannot celebrate yet, it is just the first half – we have to finish the job on Sunday. We have prepared well – physically and mentally we are ready and I am happy that I have an injury-free squad."
“The challenge for us is we have to score and defend very well too. If we manage to get at least one goal and be compact at the back then it will be good for us.”
If they manage to go through, Bandari will storm into the group stage of the competition for the first time in history of the club and Mwalala believes this will be a huge achievement for the players and the team.
“For the team to get to this level in continental football is not an easy feat to achieve. We are one step away from getting into the group stage and this is very key for us as a club. The management led by Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Dr Daniel Manduku have been very supportive to the team and we appreciate that."
"It is more important for the players to play football at such a high level because it is an open market to exhibit their talents. Almost all of these players come from poor backgrounds and if they do well some of them might move to better clubs and progress in their football careers. That is why it is key for them to fight very hard on Sunday – give it all they got every minute of the match to ensure we win and advance to the group stage.”
Captain Felly Mulumba echoed the tactician’s sentiments saying they will not underrate the Tunisian side despite having won the first leg encounter.
“They are a good side with very good players and they will obviously a hard nut to crack at home. We have however prepared very well and know their strengths and weaknesses. We need to be very calculative in our approach in order to proceed to the group stage,” he said.
The team however travelled without forward Benjamin Mosha and his place has been taken by Darius Msagha. Midfielder Alex Luganji, who impressed on his debut for the team as they picked a 1-0 win over Sony Sugar on Sunday, was also drafted into the team to Tunisia as well as former Ulinzi Stars winger Cliff Kasuti. The match will kick off at 5:30pm EAT.
Bandari’s traveling squad to Tunisia
Goalkeepers: Michael Wanyika and Mustapha Oduor
Defenders: Moses Mudavadi, Nicholas Meja, Felly Mulumba, Brian Otieno, Dan Guya, Mohammed Siraj and Fred Nkata
Midfielders: Collins Agade, Abdallah Hassan, Danson Chetambe, Cliff Kasuti, Alex Luganji, William Wadri, David King'atua and Darius Msagha.
Forwards: Wycliff Ochomo, Yema Mwama and Shaban Kenga.
Technical Bench: Bernard Mwalala (Head Coach), Ibrahim Shikanda (First Assistant), Nasoro Mwakoba (Second Assistant), Wilson Oburu (Team Manager), Siwa Razak (Goalkeepers trainer) and Nicholas Rono (Team Doctor)
