Horoya AC - SuperSport United Preview: Can Matsatsantsa give themselves the advantage in Guinea?

SuperSport United travel to Guinea to face off with group leaders Horoya AC on Saturday afternoon.

The weekend’s crunch Caf Confederation Cup encounter is a must-win for Matsatsantsa, who find themselves tied for second place with Congolese giants TP Mazembe. Going into the clash, SuperSport will be brimming with confidence after they impressively dismantled Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final, giving their outgoing coach Stuart Baxter’s an ideal parting gift.

Nonetheless, SuperSport’s assistant coach Kaitano Tembo will once again take over the reins, a role which he has now become accustomed to fulfilling. However, he will be wary of the dangers that the Guinean’s pose. The Tshwane-based outfit could only muster a point in the reverse fixture played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. But it should be noted that SuperSport have grown in leaps and bounds since then, earning two valuable points against Mazembe as well as an away victory in Gabon.

With the Premier Soccer League (PSL) now in its offseason, SuperSport are expected to utilise their strongest players, which should see the likes of Reneilwe Letsholonyane partner Dean Furman in the midfield and Jeremy Brockie play alongside the revitalised Bradley Grobler, whose return from injury has sparked new life into the SuperSport team.

Meanwhile, SuperSport will be without influential winger Mandla Masango. The Bafana Bafana international’s future remains up in the air with his loan spell set to expire by the time the game kicks off. Although, SuperSport are deemed as favourites going into the clash, they cannot afford to underestimate Horoya, who have a team filled with an abundance of pace and power, which could mean that the SuperSport defence are in for a difficult afternoon.

H.A.C have several nifty players within their ranks and the blend of foreign and local talent makes them a difficult team to predict.