Home-win hopes for Chilli Boys
CHIPPA United will be looking to continue their unbeaten run at home when they host Polokwane City in a Premier Soccer League fixture at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium tonight (8pm).
The Chilli Boys have had a decent record at home, securing a goalless draw against Kaizer Chiefs in their league opener followed by a 4-0 victory against the University of Pretoria.
What has the left the team down though is their away form. They have not won a single away game so far.
They lost 4-1 against Orlando Pirates, followed by a 3-0 loss to Free State Stars.
Their third and latest defeat was a 3-2 loss at the hands of Platinum Stars on Tuesday.
Chippa are slowly sliding towards the relegation zone.
They are 13th on the log, with only four points from five games and only one point above the nearest relegation slot.
Coach Roger Sikhakhane, however, says it is too early to press the panic buttons.
“There is no pressure at all. We lost the games not because the team was bad or maybe poor origination from the management. We lost due to silly mistakes.
“The players are motivated and know their job. They know what is expected from them, especially from this game.
“We can’t drop points three games in a row. They know what to do. They are playing at home in front of their home crowd. We have to do our best and keep the good results at home.” he said.
There would be changes in tonight’s starting lineup, he said.
“It’s going to be a tough game. I watched Polokwane’s game against Pirates, and they played very well.
“This one is very important to us and to our supporters. We have to win it and we have to play our best football,” he said.
“The team is not bad. It’s just that we conceded those three goals. We have to tighten up our defence as we will be playing against a more attacking team in Polokwane City.
“At the same time, we need to be strong up front and in the middle. That’s how we plan to play this game.
“We are going to play a very cautious game, but we are not going to defend that much. We don’t want to see ourselves conceding unnecessary goals like in the last two games.
“We have an experienced goalkeeper [Daniel Akpeyi] and we hope that it will be a different stor y.”
The Chilli Boys will be without Joseph Molangoane, who received his second red card this season against Platinum Stars. This is Chippa’s third red card in five games and discipline remains a problem.
Former Amazulu player Philani Shange is also out due to injury. He is said to be out for eight weeks.
Sikhakhane said newly signed Lerato Chabangu would not be playing tonight as he was still serving a suspension from his previous club.