Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) football club target to become the first Ugandan club to reach the group stages of the Total CAF champions league.
Since changing format in 1997 when the group stages were introduced, no Ugandan club has hit through the ceiling either getting eliminated at the preliminary round or first round.
The nearest that a team came close to the group stages was in 2009 but KCCA FC eventually fell to Sudan’s El Merrickh at the second round stage.
However, KCCA FC head coach Mike Mutebi is confident his side can eliminate defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We are quite ready, the mood in the camp is positive and the players have the self-belief to go on and eliminate Sundowns,” Mutebi said after a trial match against Proline.
“The fact that no club from Uganda has played in the group stages is itself motivational because the players want to write history and thus they must work for it,” he added.
Mutebi indicates that they have the ability to get victory against Sundowns and go ahead to advance to the next stage.
“We have the capacity to earn the result we want because we have shown it that we can play, attack and create chances. We only need to be clinical enough to put the chances to use,” he added.
The principled tactician however conceded that his side was timid at the start in the first leg where KCCA FC lost 2-1.
“I have always said that our players in Uganda have failed to understand the game; very talented but cannot read and the game,”
“They(KCCA FC players) were timid in the opening 15 minutes in South Africa and we conceded two would be avoidable goals but when they got over their nerves, they played well and we put up a good show thereafter,” he explained.
KCCA FC had a trial match against Proline on Wednesday and won 4-0 with Paul Musamali, Sulaimon Akinyemi, Allan Okello and Brian Majwega (penalty) scoring.
KCCA FC take on Mamelodi Sundowns this Saturday at Phillip Omondi stadium in the return leg of the first round of the 2017 Total CAF champions league.
Sundowns won the first leg 2-1 at the Lucas Moripe stadium last week and winner on aggregate will advance to the group stages.