FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza is adopting a cautious approach ahead of the CAF Champions League preliminary round tie against SG Sagrada Esperanca this weekend.

The platinum miners left the country yesterday after spending nine days of intensive training in Harare in their second phase of the preparations.

The first leg is set for the Estádio Municipal dos Coqueiros in Luanda tomorrow.

Mapeza said they have taken time to study their opponents with the former Zimbabwe coach concluding SG Sagrada Esperanca are no pushovers.

GD Segrada Esperanca won the Angola Girabola, ahead of seasoned campaigners, like Petro Luanda.

“We have been doing some video analysis of GD Segrada of late,” said Mapeza.

“They are a very good team, they have very quick forwards. We checked their transition, from defence to attack, they are a very quick side.

“So, we have been talking to the boys, and have been trying to work on those situations.

“With football, we can talk of history, and things like that but, at the end of the day, football is evolving all over the world.

“We just have to move along, match analysis is playing an important role, when preparing for a match.

“Those are the things we are trying to do here as a club.

“From what we have picked, in the last two games, they played towards the end of July, they are a very good side, they don’t concede goals easily.

“I can say 90 percent of their matches, they were winning by 1-0 margins, it shows that, defensively, they are very organised.

“You can tell that there is easy understanding among their players, and it clearly shows, maybe, they have been together for quite some time.

“But, like I said, this is a game of football, we just need to go there with a positive mind.”

GD Segrada, who are bankrolled by Angola’s state-run diamond company, ENDIAMA, are returning to the African safari, after 16 years.

But, they have been playing regularly, unlike the platinum miners, who were hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdowns over the last two years.

After a week of intensive training in Harare, FC Platinum yesterday left the country with a squad of 24 players.

They have in their squad seasoned players like goalkeeper Petros Mhari, Rahman Kutsanzira, Gift Bello, Donald Ngoma, Rodwell Chinyengetere and Silas Songani.

They also have a number of youthful players, among them the recently-promoted Thandolweknosi Ngwenya and Nigerian import, Abubakar Onafide.

“So far so good, I can’t complain about the preparations. As you are aware, we had roughly about three weeks of preparations, which was not enough for a coach,” said Mapeza.

“But, I can’t complain because everybody knows the situation in our country.

“There was no football in the country for quite some time (because of Covid-19).

“This is the only time possible that we had available, we are grateful that we were given the opportunity by the Sports Commission, and Government, to start preparing for these Champions League games.”

Mapeza said his players were mentally prepared to face the challenges which come with playing football on the continent.

“I can recall when we went to Congo Brazzaville, the way we were treated when we played Otoho, it was terrible,” he said.