HARARE - AS Vita coach Florente Ibenge has admitted his main objective is to contain Dynamos in Harare today and then kill off the African Champions League tie in the second leg in the Congo next weekend.
Ibenge revealed the strategy soon after his Congolese outfit touched down at Harare International Airport yesterday afternoon.
The two clubs clash at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon in the first-round of Africa’s premier club competition before meeting again in the return leg in Kinshasa next week.
“I know that the match will be really tough for us and I hope we play a good game,” Ibenge told reporters.
“We hope that our qualification will be sealed in the second leg in Kinshasa.
“Vita is a very popular club in the DRC and this year we want to qualify and do better than last year.
“This match against Dynamos is really important for us because previously, we did not progress from this round but this year we must at least reach the quarter-finals.
“We don’t want to play a defensive game tomorrow (today) but a good result will be a draw for us.
“After the two matches we want to qualify and the match in Kinshasa will be very important.”
Dynamos have been poor travellers in the competition in recent times, failing to win outside Zimbabwe in their last 10 attempts on the continent.
Ibenge, meanwhile, admitted he knew very little about Dynamos besides the fact that they had eight players in the Zimbabwe national side that came fourth at last this year’s African Nations Championship (Chan).
“I don’t know much about Dynamos but I watched the Chan tournament in South Africa and I know they had seven or eight players in the team,” he said.
“They are a good team and they are the champions of Zimbabwe so it will be a good game.”
Meanwhile, Dynamos defender Thomas Magorimbo believes the Glamour Boys have a realistic chance of progressing to this year’s mini-league phase.
DeMbare sailed through to the first round with relative ease courtesy of an impressive 4-1 aggregate win over Botswana champions Mochudi Centre Chiefs last month.
Calisto Pasuwa’s men are hoping to secure a comfortable lead before the Kinshasa trip.
And Thomas Magorimbo, one of the outstanding players for DeMbare in the last three seasons they have won the domestic title, remains confident the Glamour Boys have what it takes to get past Vita.
“We are starting at home and we are looking forward to register a healthy lead,” Magorimbo told the Daily News.
“We have to play knowing that we will go to DRC for the return leg. So the best way is to make the best out of our home advantage,” said the versatile DeMbare man.
“Sometimes starting at home puts you under pressure, especially if you fail to score goals.
“But I am urging the guys to play our normal game so that we have less pressure in the return leg.
“We need to focus on winning; I think that’s the most important thing. We should also not concede.
“I understand they are a good side and we should be prepared for a tough game. The good thing is that everyone is committed and with the squad that we have, I think if we focus, we can go as far as the group stages.”