Stellenbosch FC coach Sammy Troughton is expected to haul out his full box of tactical tricks when his team takes on Kaizer Chiefs in the round of last 32 of the Nedbank Cup at Athlone Stadium on Saturday night (8.15pm kickoff).
The one thing Troughton is adamant they cannot do is to approach the game defensively. For the Stellenbosch coach, it would be tantamount to committing suicide.
“Sitting back, in shape and trying to hold them, that is not the way to go against Chiefs,” said Troughton. “As far as I am concerned, we have to be flexible, we have to find a balance in the way we approach the match. There are times we will have to press high, and there are times we will have to try to put their full-backs under pressure. We have to ask questions of them too To go defensive would be kamikaze. We should have a few ways to go - we will have to have a Plan A, and probably B and C too.”
Troughton sees the game, featuring newly-established NFD team Stellenbosch against glamour club Chiefs, as a “David and Goliath” situation. He remains confident, though, that his team can give the popular Soweto club a competitive outing.
“Chiefs are one of the most successful clubs in the country,” he said. “They have a fantastic history. We are only about six or seven months old. Chiefs are on a good run of form, but we’ll give them a go. We will ask questions of them Most importantly, we just want to go out and give a good account of ourselves and enjoy the occasion.”
Cape Town City take on Mpumalanga-based Second Division side Acornbush United on Sunday afternoon (3pm kickoff) - and coach Eric Tinkler was adamant that talisman Lebogang Manyama will play. Manyama has been central to the Cape club’s success this season. He’s an integral part of everything they do. And, as the captain of the team, he sets the tempo and leads the way.
The City skipper, together with goalkeeper Shu-Aib Walters, was on Thursday named in a 25-man Bafana Bafana squad for friendlies against Guinea-Bissau and Angola in two weeks’ time. Tinkler said he would make a few adjustments to the starting team for the game against Acornbush, but it did not include Manyama.
“What he’s achieved is through dedication and determination,” said Tinkler. “He will start against Acornbush he sets the example, he’s captain and his presence is very important to the team.”
Meanwhile, Ajax Cape Town are in KwaZulu-Natal for a potential banana peel fixture in the shape of Second Division KwaDukuza United on on Saturday afternoon (3pm kickoff).
The Cape side’s coach, Stanley Menzo was fully aware of the challenge and has highlighted the mental side of things as crucial if his team is to come away with the victory he expects.
“We will come up against a team we have not played before, and don’t know all that much about,” said Menzo. “Playing against a lower-league team is always a challenge - we have nothing to win, but a lot to lose.
“I see the game as more of a mental challenge, rather than a football challenge. We are expected to win, but football doesn’t always work out that way.
“We will be up against a determined opponent and, if we don’t come to the party, we will have a problem.”
Of the other Cape clubs in the competition this weekend, FC Cape Town host Baroka FC at the NNK Rugby Stadium in Parow on Saturday afternoon (3pm kickoff).
Nedbank Cup last 32 fixtures
Saturday:
Cosmos v United Rovers; FC Cape Town v Baroka FC (NNK Rugby Stadium, 3pm); KwaDukuza United v Ajax (Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, 3pm); Buya Musthu v Celtic; Free State Stars v Highlands Park; Stellenbosch FC v Chiefs (Athlone Stadium, 8.15pm)
Sunday:
Arrows v Maritzburg EC Bees FC v Pirates; Acornbush v Cape Town City (Kabokweni Stadium, 3pm); Days FC v Mbombela United