Baxter wants Nedbank Cup history in defending title
SUPERSPORT United coach Stuart Baxter wants to make Nedbank Cup history by helping the club become the first to successfully defend its title.
Matsatsantsa play Chippa United for the second time this week, but in a Nedbank semifinal, at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium tomorrow from 3pm.
Baxter also wants revenge after his side suffered a 3-0 loss against Chippa United in a PSL fixture on Wednesday night.
United beat Orlando Pirates in last year’s final to clinch the cup trophy for the second time.
Baxter, who is the new Bafana Bafana coach, said winning the Nedbank Cup would be great reward for the hard work by his players this season.
“We are the Nedbank Cup holders and would be the first team to have defended the title. That is actually important,” Baxter said.
“It’s important to win things. We are professionals and we have had a very good season, but to make it a great season you have to win something.
“It is difficult to go through a season and not win anything. In that respect, as professionals, it’s important because we would set a record by being the first team to retain it,” he said.
“It’s a massive game, not for me personally, but the important thing is we want to win.
“The players deserve it after a very tough season, they’ve worked very well.”
“So, I would love to win the cup, not for me, but to give the players the reward that I believe they deserve.”
The Pretoria side had a couple of their key players on suspension for the league game against Chippa.
The former Kaizer Chiefs coach said it was part of his plan to rest some of the players in the week for the semifinal.
“When you’re in the modern game and have important games you want to try and rotate the squad under control.
“But it doesn’t always work, because I had a player who tried to get a yellow card, but received a red and I had player who was trying to get a yellow, but he couldn’t because the referee was very kind to him.
“We have tried to rotate our squad with a bit of control, so it gives us a full complement of senior players to pick from.”
Baxter said he had seen the field and was concerned about its condition, but that both teams would be playing on the same surface.
“It’s not the best pitch we are going to get – so we will take that into account,” he said.
“We’ve played Chippa a few times. We know the philosophy of the coach [Dan Malesela].
“We know the way they play. We know what gives them strength and what gives them weakness.
“I think the games that we have played have always been close games.
“We are quite aware of what Chippa United bring to the party and what areas we can exploit – and I am sure that they think the same about us.
“It will be a good game and I am sure it will be an exciting one.”