Berekum Chelsea must be wary of tricky Zamalek

By Patrick Akoto

Ex-Hearts of Oak captain Jacob Nettey is urging  Chelsea to be wary of tactics that could be deployed by Zamalek ahead of their Champions League group phase opener.

The former Ghanaian Premier League Champions will battle the experienced North African side at the Accra Sport stadium on Saturday knowing anything short of victory could derail their ambitions in their debut Africa’s elite inter-club competition.

The Blues have been forced to shift the game to the capital after officials of the Confederation of African Football declared the Golden City Park unfit to hold the first leg tie.

There are many who fear the shift in venue could be disadvantageous for the Blues with the Egyptian outfit known for grinding out results in difficult away matches.

Nettey, who captained Hearts to conquer Africa in 2000, wants the Berekum-based side to be on their guard.

“Zamalek is a team that can pose serious threat to Chelsea and so I will urge them to be very cautious in how they approach the match,” Nettey told Accra-based Radio XYZ

“We played with them during our time at Hearts and I can tell you they have a lot of tricks under their sleeves.

“They can even put up strategies on the pitch that can frustrate you and so I believe Chelsea should take the bull by the horn and go for the kill.

“They fact that they (Chelsea) have gotten to this stage should in itself inspire them that nothing is impossible.

“They are all there on merit. It is important they pick maximum points to boost confidence in the remaining matches in the group stage and I have no doubt they will make us proud.”