YOUNG Africans head coach Miguel Gamondi has asserted his desire to raise the level of fitness by awarding minutes to all players in an international friendly against TS Galaxy today at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

The defending Mainland Premier League champions will be playing their second international friendly after facing Bundesliga side FC Augsburg in the Mpumalanga Premier’s International Cup opener, where Young Africans went down 2-1 to Jess Thorup’s side.

Gamondi has highlighted these games as excellent preparation ahead of the upcoming season, which is filled with fierce competition in domestic and international competitions. These competitions include the CAF Champions League, Mainland Premier League, Federation Cup, and mini-tournaments slated in Zanzibar for the Mapinduzi Cup and Muungano Cup.

Gamondi insisted that his side gave a good account of themselves in the match against Augsburg despite being in the early stages of their pre-season. The Argentine coach has now said he will give minutes to all players to boost their fitness and rhythm.

"We have had limited time to prepare, but we will have a better idea of things after our next game on Wednesday. I plan to give every player at least 45 minutes to build their fitness and match sharpness, which are crucial in preseason.

"We are making steady progress, and I'm pleased with the players' development in terms of physicality, technique, and tactical awareness," he said.

Gamondi still has a lot of work to do to ensure that the new players are in competitive condition, mentioning Prince Dube and Jean Baleke, who still need time to develop their competitive level in terms of fitness.

"We have a lot of work ahead to get the new signings match-ready. Players like Prince Dube and Jean Baleke, in particular, need more time to reach the required fitness level.

"I believe they have met Young Africans’ standards. Dube hasn’t played in six months, so he is lacking fitness. Baleke is also quite unfit and needs to find his rhythm. Other players look better physically, but they still need to adapt to our playing style and tactics," said Gamondi.

In their first friendly match, new signings Aziz Andabwile, Duke Abuya, Clatous Chama, Dube, and Chadrak Boka all started against Augsburg, with Baleke scoring the consolation goal.

TS Galaxy will provide Young Africans with the level of competition needed before facing Kaizer Chiefs under their former coach Nasreddine Nabi.

Galaxy finished the DSTv Premiership in sixth place last season after 30 games, boasting 44 points from 12 wins, eight draws, and 10