Stellenbosch FC midfielder Devin Titus is positive that his side will use the momentum of their recent back-to-back victories against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final to overcome AS Vita Club in the second round of the CAF Confederations Cup qualifiers.
The Cape Winelands side is partaking in the interclub competition for the first time since gaining promotion to the Betway Premiership. They qualified after an impressive season which saw them finishing third on the log and also lifting the Carling Knockout Cup.
They will lock horns with the DR Congo giants this evening at DHL Stadium at 19;00 in the first leg and then visit Vita on 22 September for the return leg.
Speaking during the pre-match press conference on Thursday, Titus said: “It’s a privilege to be here, in this stage of the CAF Confederation Cup. The mood in the camp is very good, very happy and energetic – as you know we are an energetic club – and I think the two wins over Mamelodi Sundowns were impressive for us.
Stellies opened their Confed Cup journey by visiting Eswatini side Nsingizini Hotspur and thrashed them 3-0 with Titus scoring the second goal. They proved to be too powerful for Hotspur in the second leg rolling over them 5-0 to move into the next round with an 8-0 aggregate.
The Danie Craven-based team used these victories as fuel to overcome the reigning league champions Sundowns to reach their first-ever MTN8 final.
“Playing against a team like Sundowns and winning both home and away was a very good stepping stone for us heading into the match against AS Vita and hopefully we can carry that momentum heading into these two matches against them,” Titus concluded.
This is the first meeting between these two teams. Vita will rely on their experience having been part of the continental competition before while Stellenbosch is competing for the first time in CAF and has lost some of their experienced players including Deano van Rooyen who was their captain, Iqraam Rayners who joined Mamelodi Sundowns and Antonio van Wyk who scored an overseas move to Austrian side SV Ried.