Ndola or never: Ben Youssef admits Zesco clash crucial for Kaizer Chiefs' Africa hopes

Games are coming thick and fast for Kaizer Chiefs in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage, and co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef knows that if they do not win their third outing against Zesco United on Sunday afternoon (3pm), they will have a tough task reaching the knockout round.

Chiefs will visit Zesco at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola. The hosts are third in the table in Group D with just one point after losing 2-1 to Al Masry and drawing 1-1 with Zamalek in their first two games. Chiefs need to win the match to climb up the table, get their campaign up and running, and take healthy momentum and morale into the second leg at Moses Mabhida Stadium in a week’s time.

While Zesco are based in neighbouring Zambia and have been good hosts to Amakhosi since their arrival on Friday afternoon, Ben Youssef knows the home side will do everything to win on match day.

“If we want to continue to fight, compete and qualify for the knockout round, it’s a crucial game for us,” Ben Youssef said during the pre-match press conference yesterday.

“It will be a crucial game for us, and then we have to think about the next few games to qualify. It will not be easy for us. We know the qualities of Zesco.

"They are playing at home, and this game will be important for them. With the players, we have prepared what we need to do in the game. So we hope that we will win this game and help our qualification bid.”

Chiefs will need to dig deep to win in Ndola, having struggled to find balance as a team. While goalkeeper Brandon Petersen has been rock-solid, including becoming the first goalkeeper to reach 10 clean sheets in the league this season, Chiefs have not been clinical in front of goal. Their continental campaign has been less impressive. Petersen has conceded three goals, while Chiefs have scored only two goals in their first two matches.

Ben Youssef is well aware of those shortcomings, saying the team will do their best to be well-structured all round in order to collect three points that would bring them closer to qualifying for the knockout stage.

“It’s true that we don’t score a lot of goals, but we also don’t concede a lot of goals,” Ben Youssef said. “This situation in the group is crucial now for us and for them. We can discuss the statistics for this kind of game, but each match is different.

"We have prepared our game plan, and we know the weak and strong points of Zesco United. We will try to manage their strengths and focus on exploiting their weaknesses in order to win.”

While Ben Youssef refused to delve into the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents in detail, he revealed that he watched their last three games – one win, one loss and one draw. The Moroccan-born coach added that although Zesco lost three key players during the January window – two midfielders and a striker – they remain a formidable force with a clear strategy.

“The strategy of the team is always the same,” Ben Youssef said.

“They use a lot of diagonal and long balls. They try to be direct in the final third, using a lot of crosses. We discussed with the players the weak and strong points of the team.”