Kaizer Chiefs defender Philani Zulu believes it is tougher for the club to play in the CAF Champions League right now because of their poor form in the PSL.
Amakhosi will host Primeiro de Agosto from Angola in the first preliminary round second leg at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.
Zulu, who was sent off in the second half of his side's 2-1 defeat to SuperSport United a week ago, says preparations have been going well but admits with their current form it has been tough.
"The preparations are going well, we are still trying as a team to work on a way forward, rectifying our mistakes and improving where we are doing well as players, making sure everything we do we succeed," Zulu told the club's media team.
"As we are not doing well at home, when we go into CAF it gets more tough as we play with teams we don't know how they play in their country. We just prepare ourselves on anything that can happen on the day.
"We also focus on ourselves on how we can do better against people we don't know and how they play."
Take an inside look at Chiefs' training session at The Village on Monday
Amakhosi are flirting with the relegation places in the DStv Premiership after eight matches and Zulu says small mistakes have been their biggest challenge this season.
"Right now I can't give clarity on what really is happening at the club, as we are a team that enjoys playing. We do what we know and believe in that but at times we lose concentration and make small mistakes that end up costing us," he explains.
"But because we learn from that, we are trying to do better and improve our situation on the log and moving forward."
With the team playing during festive season, the defender is happy to be with the squad to avoid any temptations of being at home in December.
"As we are still playing during the festive season, I think it's good for us to avoid certain situations, and also there's Covid," he reminds.
"So I prefer to be with the team right now because there's a lot of things happening right now."