Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker was delighted with celebrated South African tactician Pitso Mosimane's visit ahead of the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final game against Egyptian giants Zamalek.
Stellies are set to host the Royal Club on Wednesday at the Cape Town Stadium from 15.00 SAT. This is the first time Barker's men are playing in the continental competition while the Egyptian outfit have been regulars in the Caf competitions.
Coach Mosimane paid Stellenbosch and shared with the players the information they needed to know about their opponents. It was vital for ‘Jinglest' to pay the Premier Soccer League outfit a visit considering the fact that he has initially coached Al Ahly, who are amalek's fierce rivals.
‘It was nice to hear from Pitso ahead of challenging Zamalek game'
“It was nice to have Pitso. He was here, and it would not be wise of us, with him being in Stellenbosch, not to use the expertise and knowledge he has, obviously having coached in Egypt and having played a number of times against Zamalek,” Barker said in a pre-match interview.
“It was nice to just hear from him, just the mentality, the emotional sort of engagement that the players have. So, to have that experience with someone who’s won the Champions League was very good for us to hear, and also for the players to also get insight from him.”
Barker insists Stellies have the right to be in the competition,
It's nice to be in Cape Town, it's nice to be back home and hosting, obviously, one of the giants of African football, so I believe it's a momentous occasion for us as a football club. We’re looking forward to it. We know the challenges that lie ahead but, at the same time, I believe we earned the right to be here, we deserve this opportunity.”
