Arrows hope to be sharp for Supersport battle
MINENHLE MKHIZE
LAMONTVILLE Golden Arrows would have felt blunted after they lost 1-0 to Kaizer Chiefs in the dying minutes of last weekend’s game.
Whether that loss dented the players’ morale will be answered when they meet Supersport United in an Absa Premiership showdown at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont at 3.30pm today.
Abafana Bes’thende captain Matome Mathiane knows the importance of collecting maximum points against a Supersport side that has an outside chance of fighting for the Absa Premiership title.
“Supersport are doing well and we know that it is not going to be easy when we play them. Our target is to make the top eight and we are playing at home, so we can’t afford to lose points. We’ve only lost once at home in the league this season,” the skipper said.
Lack of concentration against Amakhosi cost Arrows last week. But all is not doom and gloom for coach Steve Komphela and his troops.
“The game against Chiefs was difficult. We thought we had the point but we lost it in a matter of seconds but it is part of football. We have to move on from that and focus on the next assignment against Supersport.
“Supersport and Chiefs play almost similar type of football. They both attack with three strikers. We are expecting the same challenges that we experienced against Chiefs. Playing at home is a motivation on its own. Everyone has recovered from that game against Chiefs, we are now focused on moving forward,” he added.
Abafana Bes’thende have presented Supersport with a serious challenge this season. Arrows bundled Matsatsantsa a Pitori out of the Telkom Knockout before they drew with them in the league. It is a record that they would want to keep intact and entrench their dominance over the Tshwane club.
“Supersport are currently enjoying a good run. We know how they answer, I’m sure they will also come up with the plan to exploit our weaknesses. We are ready for them. We played them twice and we haven’t lost. We want to win again because we are not safe from relegation. We still need more points so that we can start to challenge for top eight,” Mathiane elaborated.
Matsatsantsa A Pitori have an opportunity to go second behind title favourites Chiefs and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns if they win this afternoon.