AMAJITA will have to triple their work-rate when they visit Malawi’s Junior Flames for their 2019 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations qualifier at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Saturday.
The South Africans will travel to Malawi on Thursday to give them time to acclimatise to the weather in the country.
The Junior Flames held Amajita to a 0-0 draw at Rustenburg’s Moruleng Stadium on Sunday, where Thabo Senong’s charges failed to capitalise on the opportunities they created.
The third round, second leg match in Blantyre could signal the end of competition for Senong’s U-20 side should they continue with their misfiring ways.
While Senong will be hoping for a drastic improvement in Malawi and victory in the match, Junior Flames coach Meck Mwase has fired the first warning shot at the South Africans, saying “at home it will be a different game”.
However, Senong reckons his players haven’t done anything wrong although they didn’t score, merely saying: “I need to fix a few things, but can’t reveal our strategy right now.”
Mwase, too, admits that there is a lot that his charges need to improve on if they want to triumph in the second leg.
Said Senong: “We will continue to work hard and make the boys focus more. We just need to score goals away and I am confident we will win.”
Promise Mkhuma and Siphesihle Mkhize will be tasked with leading Amajita to the next stage of the qualifiers of the biennial international youth tournament to be held in Niger from 24 February to 10 March next year.
The Junior Flames welcomed the away point with open arms, said their coach.
Added Mwase: “I have identified our weaknesses and we will fix them . . . I am sure we will do well at home.”
