DURBAN - By the time Maritzburg United meet Free State Stars at Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday, the Midlands outfit could find themselves down to 12th place in the Absa Premiership standings.
Winless in three matches since the resumption of the league after the mid-season break, Maritzburg are vulnerable in ninth place.
A draw for Orlando Pirates, and victories for Ajax Cape Town and Bloemfontein Celtic, will see those outfits leapfrog Maritzburg by the end of Saturday's action.
If they are careless against Stars the Team of Choice could drop further because a win will lift the visitors above the home side.
The chances of the other three succeeding in their missions are decent, especially since they all have home ground advantage.
Pirates are buoyed by their new coach from Sweden, Kjell Jonevret, receiving his work permit. That alone will lift spirits in the Sea Robbers’ camp as they wait for Polokwane City’s arrival in Soweto.
A new coach represents a fresh start, which the players will welcome. They struggled to adapt to the demands of Muhsin Ertugral, and later caretaker coach Augusto Palacios failed to get to the root of the problems.
At least a point will lift them up the standings, even if only until Sunday.
In the other afternoon game Celtic will back themselves for another victory in their back yard when inconsistent Platinum Stars pay a visit.
Platinum are weighed down by CAF and domestic assignments, and might struggle to recover in time from a mid-week defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chiefs head to the Cape on the back of a five-match winning run. By the time their late night affair kicks off at Athlone Stadium the Amakhosi will know where they stand in relation to log leaders Bidvest Wits and defending champions Sundowns.
Maritzburg followers will hope Chiefs keep their winning momentum going, or at least collect a point, because that will prevent Ajax from overtaking the Midlands side.
Of bigger concern for Maritzburg coach Roger de Sa will be how fast his team learn from their mistakes following the mid-week 4-1 thumping at Supersport United.
“Schoolboy errors” cost Maritzburg in Pretoria, where they led 1-0 at the break, said De Sa. With little turn-around time, against a side that will be buzzing after they beat Golden Arrows last weekend, his job will be tougher.
“It’s those unforced errors we make that put them back in the game,” said De Sa of the loss. “Those are the things we have to get out of our system. When we start doing that, we’ll get more results.”
At least he will have Kenyan international defender Brian Onyango back from suspension to bolster the backline, and lend an aerial threat when they attack from set plays.
A match of similar magnitude will be played at the same time tomorrow when AmaZulu and Real Kings face off in a First Division Durban derby in KwaMashu.
After rookies Kings upset AmaZulu 2-0 in the first round, Usuthu are out for revenge. “It’s going to be a war because during the our last meeting the game did not end well for us. We will find out who are the real kings in KZN,” said veteran striker Siyabonga Nomvethe.
More than revenge, AmaZulu must win in order to get back in contention for a play-off position.The Durban giants are seeking their first win of the year after two draws and a loss since the restart.
This match is part of a Sugar Ray Xulu Benefit Day, aimed at raising funds for legend Cedric Xulu who is battling cancer. AmaZulu have arranged a curtain-raiser between their Legends team and a celebrity Ukhozi FM side. There will also be musical entertainment and a play area for children.
AmaZulu coach Joey Antipas will have fellow Zimbabwean, winger Ovidy Karuru, back in the squad. The former Kaizer Chiefs player missed last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Thanda Royal Zulu with a head injury.
AmaZulu fought back from 2-0 to courtesy of goals from Tapelo Nyongo and Nomvethe. That result has them fired up and confident of getting back among the top four.
Kings will be upbeat after they outclassed Jomo Cosmos 1-0 last weekend. That result lifted them to fifth-bottom, four points adrift of their neighbours, and gave them breathing room in the relegation zone.
Unbeaten Thanda visit University of
Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.