JOHANNESBURG – Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) coach Mike Mutebi believes that they can go toe-to-toe with the reigning African champions Mamelodi Sundowns as the Brazilians start their CAF Champions League defence.
The Brazilians host the nine-time Ugandan champions at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Friday night in the first leg. The return leg will be played in Kampala next weekend with a place in the group stage up for grabs.
“We are in good shape,” Mutebi said. “The players are ready for the challenge of playing against, currently, the best team in Africa. They have just emerged as a force. We respect them, absolutely.
"We have one of our own (Denis Onyango) being the best player in the continent. That gives us motivation to prove that if our own can be the best, maybe others from Uganda can follow behind him. We have come here to play good football. We are also an emerging force in the continent.
“We might have history as one of the top clubs in our country but we haven’t made much of an impact in the continent. That’s why I describe us as an emerging force in the continent, just like Sundowns. We believe that we will present ourselves very well against the best club in the continent and play good football because at the end of the day we want the crowd to see a good game of football. We believe that we can go toe-to-toe with Sundowns.”
Players celebrate with trophy after Sundowns win the 2016 CAF Champions League. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Mutebi says that the club wears the underdog tag with pride, looking to stun the African champions. He believes that hosting the second leg will put them in a good position in their bid to reach the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
“It’s an advantage but African football has evolved so much,” Mutebi said. “If the officiating is good, we can get a result here and Sundowns can go and get a result in Kampala. As long as the officiating is good, like it is now in the continent we can come here and win. We will play to win. We won’t come here and be defensive. We have our own way of playing. Having said that, we will have the advantage in playing the first leg away. We can come here, try to get a result and then use our home advantage in the second leg.”