Township Rollers’ media officer Pako Lebanna said playing against African Stars would provide a valuable opportunity to assess the team’s readiness for the upcoming FNB Botswana Premier League season.

The two teams will square off this Saturday at Independence Stadium in Windhoek at 16h00 in what is expected to be a thrilling encounter between the two heavyweights. 

Speaking to this publication yesterday exclusively from Gaborone, Botswana, he emphasised the importance of Saturday’s encounter, highlighting the Debmarine Namibia Premier League champions’ impressive form against both domestic and international opposition. 

He believes the encounter will provide crucial insights into the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

“This is a historic encounter. Stars are a good side. With their recent form, we hope to gain more from playing a good side like them. They are a very difficult team to play against. We have seen them compete against various Botswana teams in the pre-season match-ups, and even South Africa’s SuperSport United, where they emerged victorious on all occasions, which tells you how good they are,” he said.

Regarding the importance of the match ahead of the league, he added: “Stars is a big team, and playing against them will obviously benefit us. We are going to learn a lot from competing with such a strong team”. 

Meanwhile, Stars have less than 20 days before they face Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy in the preliminary rounds of the Caf Champions League. 

Ronnie Kanalelo, the head coach of Stars, highlighted the importance of the upcoming friendly match for the PSTBet NFA champions.

“This is the last match we are going to engage in before the Champions League, and I believe it’s a crucial tie for us to gain the much-needed exposure for our players. We have just concluded the first phase of preparations, where we also recruited various players, and we will use this opportunity to test all our players ahead of the Champions League,” he said.

Speaking on their opponents, the former University of Namibia coach added: “Rollers are a good team, and we have seen how dominant they have been in their league over the last decade. They remain a team to beat in their league. Playing against a team like them gives us a good challenge ahead of the big tournament later this month”. 

Rollers are expected to arrive in Namibia tomorrow. 

-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na