adminPaul Mundandi in Zvishavane
ALI Sadiki, the former Gunners, Harare United and FC Platinum midfielder has tipped the platinum miners to do well in Kenya on Sunday. They face Sofapaka in Nairobi in a preliminary round first leg tie. He challenged the guys to play as a unit. “The Champions League is a bit different with the PSL.They have to fight and keep possession and most importantly they must not give away possession in their own half.
“The team must also be united and cover for each other. They must attack and defend as a team and I see them winning their first leg,” said Sadiki from his base in the Democratic Republic of Congo were he is now turning out for TP Mazembe.
The Kenyans are a competitive side who play running football and prefer the 4-4-2 formation. They have players who play for the Kenya national team as well.
Norman Mapeza’s man prefer a passing game and normally keep possession. They have a mixture of young and experienced players who can match any team on the continent on their day. “The game might not look easy on paper but FC Platinum are serious with their game. Mapeza has experience in coaching and playing in foreign land and he will definitely get it right. They have experience in the team and the youngsters should listen to the experienced players.
“The Platinum executive is organised and I know everything is in order and the players will only concentrate on the pitch and will not worry about money. With the love I have for the team all I want to see is the team doing well and producing the pure platinum play,” added Sadiki.
Sadiki has played for Witbank Spurs in South Africa, captained Harare United and was also a marvel to watch in the national team. He follows Zimbabwe soccer on SuperSport 9 and despite being abroad all he wishes is to see the Warriors and the Premiership clubs making their mark in Africa.
“I hope one day one team will reach the finals just like what Dynamos did and that will see us getting more slots in the Champions League,’’ he said.
The former FC Platinum player is now based in Lubumbashi.
Meanwhile, the team left Zvishavane yesterday morning and had an afternoon training session in the capital. FC Platinum will fly out of Harare at mid day aboard a Kenyan Airways flight.
They are expected to train in the evening today before having a feel of the match venue tomorrow at 1400HRS Zimbabwe time.
The team is expected to fly back home hours after the match.
Online Reporter