SuperSport won't allow themselves to be burdened by expectations in CAF final

Supersport United cannot allow themselves to be burdened by weight of expectation when they face Congolese side TP Mazembe in a Caf Confederation Cup final first leg showdown in Lubumbashi on Sunday.

United defender Tefu Mashamaite offered this view and said they would focus on the game and not allow the occasion to get to them.

United depart for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Friday morning hoping to better the 2-2 draw they achieved against the selfsame Congolese side under caretaker coach Kaitano Tembo in a match they played in the group stages in June.

“It’s very exciting and we deserve to be here because we have worked very hard to reach this stage of the competition‚" Mashamaite said.

"It is going to be a tough match in front of their passionate supporters‚ but at the same time we are equal to them because they will have eleven men on the pitch and that will be the same with us.

“The most important thing for us is not to focus on what they have done in the past because that will be dangerous.

"It is going to be important to play the game and not the moment.

"We have experienced this kind of situation before.

"I remember when we were in Madagascar‚ Liberia‚ Tunisia and Zambia - the odds were stacked against us because those teams considered to be more experienced (than United).

"They had the edge over us and on the day we managed because we believe in what we were doing.”

Mashamaite is also banking on the amount of experience they have gained over the past few seasons while competing on the continent.

“I remember when we went to Sudan‚ we had to travel for three hours on the bus from the hotel to the game with heavily armed security personnel protecting us and when we got to the stadium we had fifteen minutes to prepare‚" he said.

"After the game‚ we had another fifteen minutes to change‚ got on to the bus and drove for another three hours to the airport where we had to connect via Nigeria.

"We waited for two more hours at the airport in Nigeria and we did not know what was happening but we eventually got on the plane.

“In another separate incident‚ we were about to enter Liberia but were told that the airport was closed and we had to be airborne for an extra two hours flying over West Africa waiting for the airport to reopen.

"Circumstances like those gave us motivation to get going and it is not going to be different in Mazembe.

"It is going to be hostile‚ tough but the guys have gained enough experience.

"The Congolese are very hostile but we must look at it as an adventure and the mind will interpret it as a positive.”

Mashamaite said winning the tournament would be a highlight of his career.