Cavin’s Stars hoping to shine
HITTING FORM: DIKWENA HAVE FOUND THEIR MOJO
Victory for Wits will see them sitting in top spot.
Cavin Johnson has acknowledged that Platinum Stars will have to be at their absolute best if they are to get anything from Bidvest Wits in their Absa Premiership clash in Johannesburg tonight.
“Wits are a very strong team, they are one of the three running at the top of the league at the moment, so we have to be careful,” said Johnson.
“We will play our own game and hopefully we will be able to steal a point… we will have to play an ‘A-Plus’ game to get something there.”
Dikwena are, however, in a rich vein of form at present, winning their last three league matches as well as reaching the last-16 of the Nedbank Cup and the final playoff round for the group stages of the Caf Confederation Cup.
The improvement in 2017 is clear from a side that won just two games in all competitions before Christmas.
“We had a break at the beginning of the year, and we analysed our games… we found we were not outplayed by teams but we made tactical mistakes. For example, we conceded 11 goals from setpieces, that is not normal… we were not unfit, we were just technically making bad mistakes. We did a lot of soul-searching and we came back and it has worked for us,” added Johnson.
Stars face a busy week, with a Nedbank Cup last-16 game at Baroka FC on Tuesday followed by a trip to the Ivory Coast to play AS Tanda in their Confederation Cup play-off.
Johnson admits he has a tricky task to manage his squad, but adds that he is helped by the fact that his January transfer window signings cannot play in continental competition this season.
“It gives me an opportunity to shift and change. Those players are happy to have the PSL to play in, and not to have to play in Caf, it is a good balance in terms of recovery,” added Johnson.
Stars continue to be without the injured Luvo Mpeta for today’s game, but Johnson said there were no other casualties in his squad.
Wits will reclaim top spot in the table with a win, as leaders Cape Town City only play at home to Chippa United on Monday evening.