‘You will not see Africa until you are in Africa’ – Zito fires up Kotoko before Wydad showdown

Asante Kotoko head coach Abdul Karim Zito is optimistic that his team can overcome heavyweights Wydad Casablanca and reach the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.

The two sides will face off at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 19, 2025, in the first leg of the second preliminary round, with the reverse fixture scheduled for a week later in Morocco.

The winner over the two legs will advance to the group stage — a target Zito describes as the minimum they have set for themselves.

“We are definitely ready. We are going to wrap up tomorrow,” Zito told Joy Sports.

“We’ve done all that we’re supposed to do. We’ve studied the game and then put into practice how I would like them to play on Sunday. I think we are all ready.”

Asante Kotoko head into the tie after overcoming Nigeria’s Kwara United in the first preliminary round, winning 4–3 in Ghana and 1–0 in Abeokuta.

Zito says if they beat the three-time African champions in Accra, “it means I have another game to play in Morocco, and I have to plan well so that we will not concede over there, just as we did against Kwara.

“This is the target we set for ourselves — that at least we should progress to the group stage, and then we have only Wydad to play against before we go there.”

If Asante Kotoko are to qualify, victory at home will be crucial, something Zito is well aware of.

“It’s very, very important to us [to win in Accra] because I told them, you will not see Africa until you are in Africa. I cited an example that today, when you go to Dreams FC, everybody [players he reached the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final with] are gone.

“So, this is the opportunity for them to exhibit their talent, and then, as we did on the field, for people to trust them so that they can go into the group stage, and we will do our best there.”

The game kicks off at 15:00 GMT.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.