JOHANNESBURG - SuperSport United are standing with their backs to the wall ahead of their Caf Confederation Cup second leg semi-final against Tunisian giants Club Africain.
The two sides will meet on Sunday at 10pm. The first leg ended in a 1-1 stalemate in Pretoria.
Matsatsantsa A Pitori, fresh from lifting the MTN 8 crown at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this past weekend, need to score at least once in Tunisia to have any chance of reaching the final.
SuperSport will travel without one of their star players, Thabo Mnyamane, who suffered an injury after scoring the crucial equaliser against Cape Town City this past weekend, which forced the MTN8 final into extra-time and then penalties.
Manyamane has been one of the key players in Matsatsantsa’s good Caf run this season, notching up five goals. Morgan Gould, who has won every trophy on offer at the domestic front, believes that they will overcome all obstacles.
“It is football, my man, it is football. We can’t complain. We go in to the game knowing that we need to give it our all. We have to sacrifice. We are not going to see our families for days, weeks and months but it is the game of football. It is like that. We need to remember that we must sacrifice something so huge and the benefit should be bigger,” Gould said.
SuperSport are looking to be the second South African club to lift the Confederation Cup. Kaizer Chiefs won in 2001 when the cup was still called the African Cup Winners' Cup.
Tunisia 🇹🇳 bound... another big game coming up!!! Can’t wait to experience this atmosphere! What football is all about!!!!
— Jeremy Brockie (@JRBrockie) October 19, 2017
Pirates were the last team to reach the Confederation Cup final in 2015 but succumbed to Etolie du Sahel, also of Tunisia.
“We need people to support us. People must give us the backing ... Give us support and see how far we can go. We will give you the best,” Gould promised.
Gould has won the Premiership on four occasions - both twice with SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs, respectively.
So far he has he has won two cups since his return to SuperSport - The MTN8 and Nedbank Cup.
“I don’t know. It is lady luck," he said. "I’m at the place and time where I’m very lucky. I’m lucky to be here. I’m very honoured.
"You know what, I can’t ask for anything more from these guys. They give their all. The coach and the technical staff give their all. What more can we say. We are a team. We don’t give up.
"My goal is to do the best and God will do the rest. I stay keeping it real,” Gould elaborated.
Despite winning all the major trophies in the country, Gould has missed out on the opportunity to represent Bafana Bafana at major international tournaments because of injuries.
“I don’t even think about those things. It is gone, my man. Like today, it is gone. We need to prepare for the next encounter.”
Gould was solid for Bafana in the last World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso where they thumped the Stallions 3-1.
Bafana need to collect all six points in their last two World Cup qualifiers against Senegal, home and away, to book the ticket to Russia 2018.
“If that’s the next one, that’s something I’m going to do. The never say die attitude we got in the country can help us. All we need is for people to support us,” Gould stated.