Sekhukhune, SuperSport in precarious positions in CAF

Sekhukhune United coach Lehlohonolo Seema has described their CAF Confederation Cup group match against RS Berkane at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday (9pm) as a “must-win” to keep their chances of staying in the competition alive.

Babina Noko are in danger of elimination should they lose to the Moroccan side, who beat them 2-0 in November last year. Sekhukhune are third in Group D, with four points after four matches, and are six points behind Berkane, who are leading with 10 points.

A defeat for Babina Noko and a win for Stade Malien, who are second in the group and are facing Diables Noirs, would confirm Seema’s charges are eliminated with a game to spare.

“The important thing now is to go and look at who is available and who is not. The recovery, the recuperation, has to be very good because we have a cup final on Sunday,” Seema told the media after their 5-4 penalty win over Highlands Park in the Nedbank Cup last 32 at Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday.

“The players need rest. There is nothing much we can do. While resting, the analysis team will come, and we will work a lot on the videos we have. We have a plan; we will come right. The good thing about our opponents is that we are playing in the second round now and we know each other better.

“We have some insights we are working on. When I first arrived at Sekhukhune, my first match was against them and I lost 2-0 away, now we need nothing but a win.”

After progressing to the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup, Seema, 43, believes they have enough quality to compete on all fronts should they also progress to the knockout stage of continental football. “We have players in the club that are not available ... without mentioning any individuals. Some players played our last game but they were not available against Highlands,” he said.

“There are those who have not played, but just before the December break, we were refreshing the team. There are a lot of rotations that we did and we are still going to do the same because it is very difficult with the travelling in between. You know travelling in Africa is a nightmare. We have to be very smart, but we will try to refresh the team.”

Meanwhile, SuperSport United are also in a must-win match against Modern Future at Peter Mokaba Stadium, also on Sunday.

Matsatsantsa a Pitori are last in Group A with three points from four matches and will need to beat the Egyptian side to keep their slim chances alive.