My ‘kids’ will take KCCA to Caf group stages - Mutebi

KAMPALA. Over the past two seasons, KCCA has been the gold standard for clubs in Uganda to measure themselves against, and everybody feels they ‘must’ make it to the Caf Confederations Cup group stages again. Congo Brazzaville league champions AS Otoho stand between KCCA and the group stages.

KCCA manager Mike Mutebi is confident he will do it again like in 2017, this time heavily relying on the new blood.
“We target the group stages and this is the match that is going to take us there.

“This is a young and prospective team. Those young kids you see have played on the continent and played with confidence despite the fact that they are 16, 17 year olds. We have no problem with giving these lads more confidence (to take on Otoho),” he said.

Mutebi has granted continental debuts to youngsters Steven Sserwadda, Hebert Achai, Allan Okello, Julius Poloto, Peter Magambo and Filbert Obenchan lately.

Whereas KCCA ejected Tanzanian side Mtibwa 5-1 on aggregate to storm this stage, Otoho were eliminated from the Caf Champions League by Zimbabwe’s Platinum Stars.

“It is a big team with a name but we have learned a lot from facing big teams on the continent. They have done their research on us but we shall go to Congo and try to get the results we want. The good thing we have no key injuries at the moment,” KCCA skipper Timothy Awany, who has been integral in the KCCA continental renaissance, revealed.

Coach-less Vipers have 12 days in which to recruit a tactician, get their house in order and take on the daunting task of elimination Tunisian giants CS Sfaxien that subjected Zambia’s Green Buffaloes to a 5-1 aggregate loss in the first round.
Meanwhile, Vipers will host the four-time Caf Confederations Cup winners (1998, 2007, 2008, and 2013) in the first leg at St Mary’s Stadium before the return leg in Tunis a week after. The vastly experienced Tunisians were also Caf Champions League runners-up in 2006.