CAPE TOWN – It would come as a big shock if Cape Town City were to end the year off at the bottom of the PSL standings.
City, who have never finished outside the top five since making their top-flight debut in the 2016-17 season, will be in Soweto today for their clash with Wits at Dobsonville Stadium (8pm kick-off) and need a win to ensure they stay out of the relegation zone.
They are currently in 13th place on 13 points from 14 games, one point better off than bottom-placed cross-town rivals Stellenbosch FC, who lock horns with much-improved Baroka FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane tomorrow (kick-off 3.30pm).
City captain Thami Mkhize said it was important to finish the first round of the league on a positive note and claim a third win of the season.
“Where we sit on the log doesn’t sit well with us,” Mkhize said. “We need to reward ourselves for all the hard work we have put in and we also need to put a smile on the faces of our fans because they have been with us through all the struggles that we have been going through
“I’m expecting a good game against tough opponents with the best defensive record in the league (eight goals conceded in 10 games). But I feel very confident with the way we have been working at training with our final entries into the score zone creating a lot of chances to score. We’re a team who can score at any time, that’s what makes us such a dangerous side.”
MATCHDAY 🔥🔥🔥
Catch the Citizens take on Bidvest Wits tonight at 20:00 on SuperSport 4 💙 #iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/Hg2Gumoa4F
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) December 20, 2019
City haven’t won in their last four games, with two of those ending in defeat. Their new Dutch coach Jan Olde Riekerink does need to attack more, give his charges licence to thrill, because that’s when they are at their best. He has an array of players to call on with goals to their name, and if they are cut loose they could end his winless run.
As for Stellenbosch, the club announced on Wednesday that they have terminated by mutual agreement the contracts of injury-plagued midfielder Junior Awono and forward Dickson Afoakwa. Cameroon international Awona was the team’s Player of the Year last season.