Ivory Coast defender Ismaël Touré believes Sunday’s match against Lunda Sul is of vital importance in Stellenbosch FC’s quest to advance from the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Stellenbosch FC will play host to Angolan side CD Lunda Sul in a must-win CAF Confederation Cup Group B encounter at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria on Sunday evening.
Stellies head into the tie on the back of their first-ever win in the Group Stage of the competition during the reverse fixture last month, but must build on that result if they are to maintain hopes of advancing to the next round.
“Preparations are going well, the squad is looking good, and we are all aware of the importance of Sunday’s match,” Touré said ahead of the clash.
“The three remaining group stage matches are all finals for us, and we have to rectify our previous mistakes [from our first two matches] if we want to qualify for the next round.
“It’s true that we beat Lunda Sul in Angola but that doesn’t mean it will be an easy match because they are a very good team, so it will be up to us to make sure we do the right things and give everything to come away with the win.
“We have to respect them as adversaries and know that this is a different game altogether that will require us to be at our best. It remains our ambition to qualify and that starts on Sunday with a victory against Lunda Sul.”
While Stellenbosch are competing in Africa for the first time, Touré is enjoying his fourth continental campaign after previously featuring in CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup with ASEC Mimosas, and the latter competition with Marumo Gallants as well.
“I know African competitions very well and reached the semi-final with Gallants before joining Stellenbosch,” the Ivorian defender added.
“I try my best to show my experience and help the club and my teammates who are experiencing it for the first time, and hopefully steer Stellenbosch further in the competition.”
The CAF Confederation Cup Group B encounter between Stellenbosch FC and Lunda Sul is scheduled to kick off at 18h00 on Sunday, 5 January 2025, and will be broadcast live on SABC Sport and SuperSport channel 209.
