Muhsin’s Ajax in a fight for their lives
Ertugral reckons his players can do a job against Chiefs.
Ajax Cape Town face Kaizer Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow, with relegation a real possibility for the Urban Warriors, though at least Muhsin Ertugral’s men know their fate is in their own hands.
If Ajax can beat Amakhosi in their final Absa Premiership match of the campaign, they will be safe, whatever happens on the same day to the other sides involved in the relegation battle.
Should the Urban Warriors not win, they will fall into the relegation/promotion play-offs, set to
start next Wednesday.
Chiefs have a different motivation as three points will guarantee that they qualify for the Caf Confederations Cup by finishing third in the table, offering a little consolation for a difficult season. But Ertugral is confident Ajax have worked enough on the preparations to get the crucial win.
“We worked on our strengths this week and went into detail analysing Chiefs in depth. At home, it is interesting to see that we have the second best record this season, but away games were a disaster,” he said.
“I am confident we will win … we have to win. Everyone wants to play. Everyone wants to be on the field. We have been in this situation before,” he added. He also rued lost opportunities where they could have ensured they didn’t have this pressure.
“We had our chances, at AmaZulu and Chippa United, but we are in this situation now and we have to win this weekend.
“Kaizer Chiefs are coming here to win. But that could be a blessing in disguise. There is pressure on them, pressure on us. It will be a big game.
“I really believe that we will do the job. The confidence is there. We just need to put the ball in the back of the net. It’s simple – we win, we stay up.”
Ajax are second from bottom and in the play-off position going into tomorrow’s match, with 31 points after 29 games, two behind SuperSport United and Polokwane City, and three behind Baroka FC. In Ajax’s favour, SuperSport play Baroka tomorrow, meaning Ajax will be guaranteed to catch at least one of them if they win.