JOHANNESBURG - The Premier Soccer League has confirmed it has postponed SuperSport United’s two upcoming fixtures – against defending champions Bidvest Wits and Maritzburg United – due to their continental commitments this month.
Matsatsantsa were scheduled to play Wits in Braamfontein next Tuesday and then travel to the Harry Gwala Stadium four days later to take on the Team of Choice. But because SuperSport have a tricky trip to Tunisia early next week for the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup semifinal against Club Africain, the league has had to look for alternative dates for those matches to be played.
SuperSport coach Eric Tinkler had confirmed soon after the 1-1 stalemate in the first leg at the Lucas Moripe Stadium more than a week ago that the club would ask the PSL to have the Wits fixture moved.
“We cannot play in midweek and then try to make our way to Tunisia. We don’t yet know whether the game will be played on Friday or other days of the weekend, so it is important to have that fixture moved,” Tinkler said at the time.
Club Africain will host SuperSport on Sunday, October 22 at the Stade Olympique de Rades and it is likely that the Tshwane-based team will fly out on Wednesday or even earlier, now that they do not have a midweek game, to prepare and acclimatise.
SuperSport will play in the MTN8 cup final against Cape Town City in Durban this Saturday, get some rest and then begin their trip to Tunis, where they hope to outscore the opposition – who sneaked in a crucial away goal against a wasteful Matsatsantsa – to reach the Confederation Cup final next month.
Tinkler has been to that stage of the competition before as coach of Orlando Pirates, but another Tunisian side in Etoile du Sahel beat the Buccaneers to be crowned champions.
He will have to motivate his side to play catch up in the domestic league, which proved to be a challenge when he was at Pirates, the team finishing in 7th place in that season.
@superjourno