Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
KNOWLEDGE c has travelled with the Scottland team even though his availability for the CAF Champions League preliminary round second leg tie in Eswatini is in doubt.
The match is set for Saturday.
The former Warriors captain missed the first leg, at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday, because of a hamstring strain.
His absence was felt as Scottland lacked the killer instinct against a Nsingizini Hotspurs side which showed a lot of character to limit the damage despite playing one man short for 87 minutes.
Scottland left the country on Monday for a camp in South Africa before they fly to Eswatini for the decisive battle.
Knowledge was part of the squad and the club could be gambling on a miracle recovery which could see him playing a part on Saturday.
Alternatively, Norman Mapeza wants Knowledge in camp because he is a leader who can inspire his teammates to give it their all in this decisive match.
Mapeza has identified improved creativity, attacking balance and psychological readiness as key to completing the job.
“We wanted to be more creative but that creativity wasn’t there, especially in the first half,” said Mapeza.
“We created a few chances.
“In the second half, we made some changes during the break and improved a little bit.
“Playing against 10-men is usually very difficult because those guys were fighting for their lives.
“At the end of the day, we won, and that is the most important thing.”
Mapeza also wants greater attacking balance after much of Scottland’s threat came from one flank.
“There wasn’t much activity on the other side. We wanted to create more balance, but we couldn’t do it on both sides,” he said.
The coach expects Nsingizini to adopt a more adventurous approach at home, where they need to overturn the deficit.
