Chippa coach wary of SuperSport backlash
Chippa United co-coach Kwanele Kopo knows a determined SuperSport United will be a tough nut to crack in their DStv Premiership soccer fixture at the Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow (8pm).
SuperSport will be desperate for success, having not won in eight matches, and Kopo is aware of the threat they pose.
Though they occupy a healthy fifth spot on the log, SuperSport’s last victory was in December when they beat Orlando Pirates 3-0.
They drew 1-1 with Polokwane City on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Gqeberhabased side have enjoyed good times in league and cup competitions.
Normally fighting for their status at this stage of the season, the Chilli Boys are on a three-match winning streak and will be looking to extend that record tomorrow.
But Kopo knows SuperSport are more than capable of cutting that run short.
“It’s not going to be any easy game, it’s a very difficult game.
“Especially that they haven’t won in the last few games.
“They are a very strong team with a very good and experienced coach.
“I think they showed that on Wednesday night when they were down to 10 players but came back and almost stole it at the end.
“So it’s a physiological test for us because we want to be consistent in winning games.
“We have won three in a row now and want to go to four and five.
“We want to go past the 30point mark and see how close we can get to 40 points.
“So it’s going to be a psychologically tough game.”
The former Pretoria Callies coach, who is in charge at Chippa alongside Thabo September, said the match would be a tactical affair.
“So I don’t think we must read too much into what is happening with SuperSport at the moment because once they turn that corner they can have a consistent run.
“It’s very important for us to be tactically disciplined and not fall into the traps that they set for us because tactically, they are strong.”
Kopo believes they need to score first to have a chance of winning.
“We need to go there and score goals and I think if we can score early against SuperSport, it will affect them mentally,” he said.
“Because they are going to go into that whole if ‘are we losing again, we are not winning again’ frame of mind.
“So the longer the game goes with 0-0, the more confident SuperSport will get.
“I think with them having played midweek, it’s a game where we need to come and put them under pressure from the beginning so they don’t get to settle into the game.” Weekend fixtures:
Saturday: Golden Arrows v Royal AM (3pm), Sekhukhune v Cape Town Spurs (5pm), Orlando Pirates v AmaZulu (5.30pm), SuperSport v Chippa United (8pm).
Sunday: Richards Bay v Kaizer Chiefs (3pm), Polokwane City v Cape Town City (3pm), TS Galaxy v Stellenbosch (5.30pm).