CAPE TOWN - Gavin Hunt is under no illusions as to the enormity of the task that awaits his Wits squad when they host Egyptian super club Al Ahly in a first-round, second-leg tie of the African Champions League at the Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday. Al Ahly won the first leg 1-0 in Cairo last week.
In fact, for Hunt, the game is so important, so critical, so huge, that he labelled it as “the biggest game in the history of Wits as a club”.
Hunt was speaking after his team had eased past First Division side Cape Town All Stars in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup on Wednesday night. The Cape Town-born coach rotated his squad for the clash with the lower-tier opponents, but it was, nevertheless, a very strong team, testament to the fantastic depth in the Wits squad at the moment.
With the Cup hurdle out of the way, Hunt is able to focus on the challenge of Al Ahly, a team with a magnificent record and pedigree in the Champions League.
“We have our backs against the wall against what is an unbelievable team,” said Hunt. “But this is the biggest game in this club’s history. Imagine, for Wits to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, that’s just unheard of. It will be tough and we have our captain suspended (Thulani Hlatshwayo) and that’s a problem. But we will go out and do our best.”
“Look, you go and look at all the clubs I’ve coached,” he said. “I’ve always rotated my players, it’s something I believe in. But, in my four seasons at Wits, I’ve never had the depth to compete on three fronts - now I do. That is why I was able to change a few things for All Stars and still put out a strong, competitive team.
“We’ve had a difficult week, with all the travel and playing, but, you know what, I prefer it that way. I’ve always said, and it’s just an opinion, that in South Africa we train too much and play too little. In Europe, the players get through 50-60 games a season, not here. So, during this period, for me it’s more about game preparation rather than training.”