TP Mazembe coach Lamine Ndiaye admits his team cannot focus solely on defending when they face Pyramids’ fearsome attack in Friday’s TotalEnergies CAF Champions League encounter.
The Congolese giants get their group campaign underway with a daunting trip to Egyptian challengers Pyramids.
Ndiaye acknowledges Pyramids have emerged as serious contenders after pushing Al Ahly and Zamalek close domestically under new coach Jaime Pacheco.
“We know Pyramids have great offensive capabilities. We did not come here just to defend against them,” Ndiaye stated at the pre-match press conference.
Pyramids’ array of attacking weapons includes striker Fiston Mayele, who Ndiaye highlighted as a particular threat.
The Portuguese tactician guided Pyramids to second place behind Al Ahly in the past two Egyptian Premier League seasons to establish them as a growing power.
Ndiaye believes Pacheco has since transformed them into even stronger Champions League challengers.
However, Mazembe are veterans of the competition having been crowned kings of Africa five times previously. Ndiaye feels his talented squad, headlined by attackers Chris Mugalu and Likuvo Merveil, have the tools to progress from a tough group.
Mazembe midfielder Djeloudi Likomza struck a positive note heading into the clash, stating: “We’ll do our best to achieve a good result.”
Yet their early exit from the African Football League exposed deficiencies Ndiaye is still working to address.
Facing Pyramids’ free-scoring attack represents an immediate test of Mazembe’s credentials on the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League stage they know so well.