Red Arrows assistant coach Kalililo Kakonje says playing five-time CAF Champions League winners is enough to spark the team to win.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s highly anticipated CAF Champions League, second round, first leg encounter pitting Red Arrows and TP Mazembe at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Kakonje the airmen were looking for good start ahead of the return leg in Lubumbashi.

“These are self-motivated games; the boys look motivated on their own. Looking forward to the game, looking forward to qualifying to the group stage as well. The morale has been very good, the response has been very good, and hopefully we take that into the game as well,” said the ex-TP Mazembe goalie and 2012 Africa Cup of Nations winner.

Kakonje said Red Arrows were not after proving a point to anyone but rather challenge themselves to do better in CAF competitions.

“One thing we have learnt at Red Arrows is never to compete or prove anyone wrong but to challenge ourselves. There was a question that we were almost getting into the group stages but did not make it. So we are trying to challenge ourselves against our history of not qualifying to the group stage,” he said.

“If we manage to go to the group stage, we will be happy with ourselves because that is the challenge we have put ahead of ourselves.”

Red Arrows take on TP Mazembe at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Saturday in Ndola with the match kicking off at 15:00 hours.