Stellies look to finish the job against Vita in Kinshasa

Stellenbosch FC have a fantastic opportunity to reach the Caf Confederation Cup group stages, when they take on AS Vita on Sunday in the second leg of their final qualifier at the Stade Des Martyrs in Kinshasa.

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Stellies’ 2-0 win in the first leg at home not only stunned the Congolese side, but also prompted the resignation of Vita head coach Abdelsam Ouaddou in the post match press conference. .

Vita confirmed this week in a statement that Ouaddou was no longer in charge, as the DRC giants look to turn the tie around in front of their passionate home fans.

Stellies in charge

Stellies have to be favourites to reach the group stages of the Caf Confederation Cup at their first attempt. The away goals rule still applies in Caf competitions. If the Cape Winelands side can score just once, Vita will need four goals to defeat Steve Barker’s side.

Vita have also yet to kick off their domestic league. Stellenbosch have seen plenty of action. They reached final of the MTN8, where they will take on Orlando Pirates at a sold out Moses Mabhida Stadium on October 5.

It didn’t go so well for Stellies in their DStv Premiership opener on Wednesday. They were beaten 2-0 by Golden Arrows at the Athlone Stadium.

Barker did start the game with key players like Devin Titus and Andre De Jong on the bench, perhaps with Sunday’s match in mind.

Stellies coach Barker sees the positives

“I thought we played well, and it didn’t seem as though they would score against us. But we gave away a softish goal, and then, chasing the game, we got exposed at the back for their penalty,” said Barker, according to the Stellenbosch FC official website.

“I wouldn’t say I’m pleased with our performance, but it didn’t warrant the two-nil loss.

“It puts us back down to earth and we need to get over this as quickly as possible and learn very quickly. We are on a learning curve with the club fighting on all of the fronts this season. So it is important that we learn and move forward from this.

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“We are still positive, we’ve played seven games and won six. We have a big game lying ahead on Sunday away to AS Vita. It doesn’t help to dwell on this loss. We have to focus on that game, and the big derby game in our next league game.”