The youthful Stellenbosch FC may run out of steam against North African hosts RS Berkane in Sunday’s CAF Confederation Cup Group B clash (9pm kick-off).
Stellenbosch started travelling yesterday morning, and will only arrive in Morocco today.
At this rate, the Cape Winelands squad will only have tomorrow to acclimatise to the local conditions in the eastern parts of the country.
Because their Danie Craven Stadium headquarters are off-limits for international matches, Stellenbosch have become used to travelling every week since the start of the season.
However, travelling the length of the African continent is something they do once in a while, but is nevertheless energy-sapping.
In their earlier Confederation Cup match this season, RS Berkane hammered Stellenbosch 3-1 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
RS Berkane play in the powerful Moroccan Botola Pro League, and are currently in fourth position.
They are an experienced outfit that have played the Confederation Cup eight times.
Their best performances include two championship titles and two runners-up finishes.
Moin Chaabani, RS Berkane’s coach, is passionate about the Confederation Cup after last season’s failure in the final, where they were defeated by Egyptian heavy hitters Zamalek in the two-leg final.
Chaabani’s focus is firmly fixed on bringing the title to Morocco this time.
He also has concerns about the team’s busy playing schedule, but at least on Sunday, his team will have home ground advantage at the 10 000-seater Stade Municipal de Berkane.
“We played five matches in 15 days, and this puts a lot of pressure on the team. We will work to keep up with the rhythm, and adjust our programme according to the requirements of the next match,” Chaabani said ahead of Sunday’s clash against the South Africans, who are playing in the continental competition for the first time.
“The struggle for the title is still long, and we must deal with each match separately, especially with the difficult upcoming matches, whether in local competitions or the cup.
“I thank the players for their enthusiasm and great determination.”
On the eve of the team’s departure for Morocco, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker was pleased that the team had already qualified for the quarter-finals, following last weekend’s 2-0 over Stade Malien in Pretoria.
Barker said that the club’s emblem, a bunch of grapes, has often come up in his motivation talks.
“It was maybe four or five years ago, a little bit tongue in cheek, I said to the players, ‘Come on guys, we’ve got to get this club playing on the continent. One day, there will be a headline saying: ‘From crushing grapes to crushing Africa’. I keep referring to that and reminding the players,” said Barker.
Stellenbosch FC CEO Rob Benadie, who is part of the travelling party to Morocco, said: “We are obviously more relaxed than if we had to go there and get a result to qualify. We still, however, want to put in a solid performance to keep our momentum.
“It’s a really long travel schedule to Morocco, and then we only land back in Cape Town on Tuesday, before flying on Wednesday to play an important Premiership match on Thursday against AmaZulu.
“I am looking forward to monitoring how our staff and players continue to push standards, learn and recover during this tough schedule.
“It’s exciting, but requires all of us at the club to double up on our efforts, which I am proud to say is happening.” | Independent Media Sport