Momentum is key for Celtic
Larsen’s side out to keep their good run going in Macufe Cup
BLOEMFONTEIN Celtic coach Clinton Larsen says their upcoming game against Kaizer Chiefs in the Macufe Cup will not be about revenge when the two teams meet at the Free State Stadium on Sunday.
Celtic were knocked out of the MTN8 at the semi-final stage by Chiefs just a month ago, after the teams played to 1-1 draw in the first leg, before Amakhosi won the second leg 1-0 via a George Lebese goal to book a spot in the final with Ajax Cape Town.
“This is a whole different game, it won’t be about revenge or anything.
“Both teams will not be playing their full strength squads, but we are in it to win it,” Larsen.
“We normally use this competition to give our youngsters a run. And it won’t be any different this time around. We want to see how well they can cope in such circumstances and under pressure.
“The crowds are massive, so we want to instil some confidence in them to be ready when we introduce them in the league games.
“We will also give our fringe players some time to play, which is a very good thing, because it will be a competitive match.”
With Celtic having won the competition three years in a row. Larsen explains that even though the cup game does not fall under the Absa Premier League, it is imperative for the team to win it.
“This is a very important cup game for us and our supporters. It brings many people from all over together. Our fans love it and we want to keep on winning it for them.”
Phunya-Sele-Sele are currently third on the log, with 13 points, after winning four games, drawing one and losing one and Larsen is understandably keen to keep the winning momentum going.
“Everything is going well at the team, we are doing very good in the league. We have always told our players that we want to instil a winning mentality in them; it has to be our culture.
“It will also help us in building up to out next league game against Golden Arrows, so it is important. We have to keep on winning our games,” Larsen added.
Even though Larsen admits that the two teams will not be playing their strongest teams the Celtic coach believes this will be a game of high quality with their opponents having good depth in their squad.
“Yes we won’t be playing our regular players, but this will be a very competitive match.
“Chiefs have a really strong squad, and I’m certain players like Maluleka (George), Abraw (Camaldine), Manqele (Edward), to mention a few, will be playing, and those are quite good players with an enormous amount of PSL experience.
“So, we are expecting a tough encounter.”