DURBAN – AmaZulu are facing a baptism of fire as they gear up to face Golden Arrows in the KwaZulu-Natal derby.
The two teams will square off in a PSL encounter at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Sunday.
Usuthu suffered back-to-back defeats recently and will be out to end that run. They were hammered 4-1 by Free State Stars and then lost 1-0 to Chippa United at home over the weekend.
Coach Cavin Johnson is well aware that they face a massive test in Abafana Bes’thende.
“The next game is even bigger than the game (against Chippa last Saturday). The next game is a derby against Lamontville Golden Arrows. It is a big game.
“Because you are not only under the cosh because it is (a) derby, you are under the cosh because we lost our game, and they won their last game,” Johnson said.
Arrows are oozing with confidence.
They have won three games in a row across all competitions and Arrows are now pushing for the top eight, while their rivals are battling in the lower half of the league standings.
“You have come out of your starting blocks from the start, not in the second half. We have to make sure that we start well.
“We have to put out best foot forward. We know what Golden Arrows are like. We have to play hard (against Arrows),” Johnson said.
Usuthu have collected four points from of a possible six in their derby matches.
They defeated Arrows in the first round, while they shared the spoils and lost to Maritzburg United.
AmaZulu will be out to make it two out of two against Arrows.
It won’t be easy however, as Arrows have been transformed under new coach Steve Komphela and are proving to be a difficult customers to beat.
They have suffered three defeats in eight games since Komphela took over the coaching reins in December.
4️⃣ Days left until we host @AmaZuluFootball for the #DurbanDerby
🗓Sun 14 April
🏟Sugar Ray stadium
⏰15:00
Get to your closest @TicketProSA outlet and get your tickets.R40 adults, R15 kids U12
Lets fill up the stadium!! #AbsaPrem #DurbanHasMore #BuildingTheBrand pic.twitter.com/3MQwInp6Yh
— Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) April 10, 2019
@Minenhlecr7