Chippa keep plan the same

CHIPPA United coach Dan “Dance” Malesela said their Premier Soccer League fixture against Bloemfontein Celtic tomorrow at Dr Molemela Stadium (kickoff 3.30pm), will be a different ball game compared to that of Mamelodi Sundowns.

However, Malesela said his planning for the Siwelele game will not differ from their normal preparations.

“We do not really plan differently for matches,” he said.

“We are going to confuse players if we go to games and say, ‘This one we must approach it this way and this one this way’.

“Players get confused and the next thing they do not know which way we play and which philosophy are we following.

“So, we stick to the same routine. We play and we try and open up the opponents and we try and defend very well.”

The former Orlando Pirates skipper said tomorrow’s league fixture will be a tricky one as teams are fighting for points in the second leg of the league.

Chippa are eighth on the log with 20 points from 16 games, while their opponents are 13th on the log with 15 points from 16 matches.

Malesela believes three wins could place them in a better position on the log.

He said they cannot relax now as the points difference between them and team below is not that much.

“It’s a tricky fixture because we are all desperate for points and also we are playing away but we know what to expect.

“We hope that we sustain the performance that we registered in the last two games and improve on them as well.”

Chippa will be without injured striker Katlego Mashego, influential captain and mid-field commander Thamsanqa Sangweni due to suspension and defender Bongani Kama who is injured. “Because Thamie (Sanqweni) is the captain we will miss his leadership but we have got players to replace him. So I do not think it’s a big issue.

“We also have replacements for Katlego and Bongani,” he said.

Malesela’s biggest headache at the start of the second stanza was to have a steady defence.

The coach said he has seen some improvement in the last two games the Chilli Boys have played.

“We tried out new people and not that they were outstanding but they were good enough for us to have gotten a point.

“We are hoping that we will improve with time and hopefully we can get a new pairing that will prove to be enough for us to win matches.

“Celtic will be a different team so you cannot draw anything or drop too much from this thing. We are always aspiring to score goals.’’