Komphela wary of ‘tenacious’ Baxter

Steve Komphela is wary of a SuperSport United on the rebound and a coach‚ Stuart Baxter‚ who thrives on challenges‚ so says the Kaizer Chiefs coach ahead of their Nedbank Cup quarterfinal.

Chiefs‚ on a high after four wins in a row and 12 league games without a defeat‚ meet SuperSport at FNB Stadium on Saturday (6pm). SuperSport have suffered demoralising back-to-back league defeats against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Komphela‚ once Baxter’s assistant at Bafana Bafana‚ said the coach had the ability to come up with a plan to get results when facing adversity.

He pointed to Wednesday’s result against Sundowns – a defeat‚ but one where SuperSport improved drastically from their thrashing the previous week – as evidence of Baxter’s ability to bounce back.

“You’ve got to be careful with a team who are not getting results‚ and they know what is expected of them‚ and be wary of how dangerous they can be‚” Komphela cautioned.

“And with regards to Stuart, he’s very experienced.

“The two matches he played against Sundowns‚ from the first one to the second‚ were not the same. And that is a sign of a man who thinks. You learn from your previous experiences.”

Komphela said certain people thrived on challenges.

“The more you throw at them‚ the sharper they get. And Stuart is that kind of breed.”

Chiefs’ four wins in a row started with a 2-1 home league victory against Sundowns followed by a 2-1 away win against ABC Motsepe League Acornbush United in Nelspruit.

Amakhosi then beat Bloemfontein Celtic 2-0 away in the league‚ then Chippa United 1-0 at FNB on Saturday.

Other Nedbank quarterfinals on Saturday will see Orlando Pirates host Celtic at Orlando Stadium in the late game (8.30pm). Chippa United meet Jomo Cosmos at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (3pm) and Golden Arrows host Platinum Stars at Princess Magogo Stadium (3pm). /