USUTHU HAVE PLAN FOR CITY
ALTHOUGH AmaZulu are on a hot streak with seven wins from eight games, attacking midfielder Siyethemba Sithebe knows Cape Town City will be a real handful on their home turf today.
“We will have to be at our best because we know that it won’t be easy,” said Sithebe.
“We are at that point of the season where we can’t afford to drop points. All the games we are playing at are like finals.
“We need to work hard and know that Cape Town City like to play football and they are a strong team.”
City enter the game in sixth place on the standings and they are certainly not a team any side can afford to underestimate as they are capable of beating anyone on their day.
“They have won many matches but so have we. I think it will be a tough game, especially given the fact that it will be away,” said Sithebe.
“It will be tough but we need to work hard. We can’t afford to lose points.
“Our preparations have been going well at training, although we may not have had enough time.
“We know how Cape Town City play, we’ve analysed them. Tactically, we’ve planned well ahead of the game thanks to the coach.”
The game promises to be somewhat emotional for AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy, who has attracted a lot of praise for his manmanagement abilities this season.
Not only will McCarthy be returning to his home city, he will also be facing off against the club where he kicked off his coaching career in 2017 and had a relatively successful spell before being axed in late 2019.
Sundowns still lead second-placed Usuthu in the standings by three points despite having played two games less, but the Brazilians’ latest slip in form proves that a possible twist to the title race could be possible.
Sundowns are winless in their last three games in all competitions, a fairly unusual sequence by their standards, and they also suffered a surprise 2-1 loss at the hands of Gavin Hunt’s underperforming Kaizer Chiefs last weekend.
Fatigue appears to be taking its toll on Masandawana and things do not get any easier for them as they prepare for a demanding fixture against third-placed Golden Arrows this afternoon.
Should Masandawana continue to suffer from fatigue and Usuthu maintain their lofty standards, a twist at the top could be in the offing.
While this season has been unusual in terms of there being no supporters at the stadiums, it has also been unusual in that two of the KwaZulu Natal outfits have overachieved, with Arrows and AmaZulu currently in strong contention for continental football qualification.