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Parker confident Chiefs will overcome Wydad

Amakhosi striker targets Champions League final

Neville Khoza Journalist
Bernard Parker of Kaizer Chiefs.
Bernard Parker of Kaizer Chiefs.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Bernard Parker has bullishly declared that Kaizer Chiefs have what it takes to overcome Wydad Casablanca in the two-legged CAF Champions League semifinal, if they only have belief and courage.

Chiefs will face Wydad in the first leg at Stade Mohammed V on Saturday (9pm), before welcoming the Moroccan giants at FNB Stadium next week.

The Soweto giants have already made history by reaching the semifinal. They face a tough encounter against Wydad.

But Parker urged his teammates to show courage and belief that they can go all the way to the final. “We have a chance now to make history with belief and I’ve said that every time to the guys. If you have courage and you believe, everything else will come automatically,” Parker told Sowetan.

“Our quality will show. Our brilliance and all other things will show. But if you don’t believe and you don’t show courage, you won’t be able to showcase your full potential on the day.

“I’m sure with belief we can make history. It is time for us to make history for the club and ourselves. It is a healthy challenge for us in terms of motivation and more than a challenge itself.”

Having already played Wydad twice, losing 4-0 away in Burkina Faso before winning at home in a match the Moroccan giants brought their second team, the 35-year-old is not concerned by the previous results.

He feels that will count for nothing as they have matured in the competition.

“That was very early in the group stages in the journey. We were not experienced as they were and the experience took over for them,” he said, referring to the 4-0 defeat they suffered away.

“The good thing about us is we learned from that game. All the lessons, they brought us this far and that made us stronger in terms of how we need to prepare every time we are on the continent.

“So we are aware that they have more experience in the Champions League. We are also underdogs and we want to go full blast in terms of our freshness in the squad and our point to prove.

“We want to prove a point to the technical team that we can get a notch. Everybody must understand their roles when they go there. I'm sure we will come back with positive results.”

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