Manqoba confident Yanga can challenge for Caf Champions League title

Dar es Salaam. Young Africans (Yanga) head coach Manqoba Mngqithi says he is still building his squad but believes the club has enough quality to mount a serious challenge for the Caf Champions League title this season.

Mngqithi made the remarks after Yanga returned from Botswana, where they drew 1-1 with Gaborone United in the first leg of the first preliminary round, with the Tanzanian champions now turning their attention to Saturday’s return leg.

The South African tactician said his immediate task is to improve the team’s combinations and attacking efficiency, but insisted that Yanga have the quality required to compete for the continent’s biggest club prize.

“We are still building this team. There are areas where we need to improve, but we have quality players who can help us achieve what we want,” said Mngqithi.

“Our target is to do our best in the Champions League and go as far as possible. We have the quality to compete for the title, but we have to continue improving as a team.”

Yanga have made an impressive start to the 2026/2027 season, scoring 16 goals in six competitive matches, including five Mainland Premier League games and one Champions League fixture.

However, Mngqithi believes the team can create even more opportunities for its forwards, who have sometimes struggled to make the most of chances created.

He said the technical bench is working to improve the connection between the midfielders and attackers while also developing different routes of attack.

“We are not in a bad position because we are creating chances, but we need to have more hunger to convert them. We are missing some opportunities, but we also need to become better at creating more chances than we are doing now,” he said.

Mngqithi identified Yanga’s wide play as one area requiring improvement, saying the team must deliver better crosses and create more effective situations from the flanks.

“We still have challenges with our attacks from the wide areas. Some of our crosses are not good enough and others are wasted. That is something we need to correct, and we are working on it,” he said.

He added that Yanga have started creating opportunities through the middle but need to improve their quality in that area, particularly as some players are still adapting to his system.

For now, however, Mngqithi said the priority is to eliminate Gaborone United and progress to the next round.

“There is nothing more important than winning. Getting an away goal from the first leg was good, but now we have to make things difficult for them at home and force them into mistakes,” he said.

Yanga will host Gaborone United on Saturday, September 12, needing a win or a goalless draw to advance to the second preliminary round. The winner will face either Madagascar’s CFFA or Lijabatho of Lesotho.