Robert Matano: Tusker FC boss believes they ‘know Zamalek SC will scare them using army and police’
The tactician, after losing at home on Saturday, said they are ready to cope with the kind of reception they will get in the north.
Tusker head coach Robert Matano has claimed their Caf Champions League opponents Zamalek SC will try to scare them using the army and the police.
The White Knights earned the first-leg advantage in their first-round clash at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday following a 1-0 win courtesy of a goal scored by Achraf Bencharki.
Matano has now claimed the Egyptian giants might use state might to scare them, but they will be ready for that kind of reception upon their arrival in North Africa for the second leg this weekend.
Military and police scare
“We know them, we have been there like 10 times or more and I know their behaviour and we will handle the situation the way it will come. We have to cope with it because we know them and we will not be worried because we know how they can possibly behave,” Matano told Goal.
“We know they will start scaring us using the police and the army. They will come with military armour and cause tension in an attempt to scare us. We have seen that before and we are aware.
“Mental strength is going to count a lot because if you are strong mentally, that will be a key aspect. Mental strength is what we are going to train the boys on.
“We are going to put up a tough fight there. It is not going to be easy. You will be surprised to see what we will do in Egypt.”
Matano also explained why they suffered the slim defeat at home and how they will work to ensure they register a positive result in Egypt.
“We did not construct two or three successful passes and I think it is because we did not know how they played first, and most of our players, of course, have not played at that high level of competition,” said the tactician.
“We will change because we have been in these situations many times and it is about the players believing in themselves. First, they must start with themselves before the coach comes in and we have our own style of play and we have to influence the game.
“It has been tough, especially coming from the break, and if the league was going on, it could have been different. We have been playing against ourselves and we have also played against small teams and you know those teams cannot give you resistance [like what Zamalek can].”
The second leg will be played on October 22.
