DURBAN – Catching the high-flying Kaizer Chiefs may be a bridge too far for SuperSport United, but it won’t stop them from dreaming.
Matsatsantsa are on the mission.
The Tshwane-based team are currently third on the PSL standings and 10 points behind log leaders, Amakhosi. SuperSport have already bagged a trophy this season in the form of the MTN8.
They were pitted against arch-rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup over the weekend.
Coach Kaitano Tembo is adamant that they can clinch an unprecedented treble, although he acknowledged that it will be a mammoth task to dethrone Chiefs at the summit of the log.
“It is one game at a time for us because the gap is big. We should try to focus on picking up points and be consistent. We need to notch up wins and see if that gets us closer. It is very important for us to take one game at a time,” Tembo said.
SuperSport will have to work diligently to win two trophies in the second half of the season. They will also need a lot of luck along the way. Chiefs are running away with the league and SuperSport will be hoping that they slip up sooner, rather than later.
“Look, it is football and anything is possible. I think, I should give credit to the players for coming out and dishing up performances (like the one against AmaZulu on Sunday). This was our third game in like eight days. It shows that we are in a good condition physically and mentally.
We have to keep on going. We have a little bit of a break now because we are only playing on Sunday. That will give us more time,” Tembo added after his team beat AmaZulu 2-0 in the league at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium.
Evans Rusike and Bradley Grobler inspired SuperSport to victory against Usuthu.
A possible treble, however, could be over in March if SuperSport fail to beat Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup.
“It is a derby. Tough game. That’s how it is. We play Sundowns and Sundowns are a very good team. We also have a good team that on the day can play and beat anyone. For now, we have to focus on our recovery. I could see a lot of tired legs out there from (a) few players who were coming back from injury. We had to take out Evans Rusike,” Tembo said.
SuperSport have already beaten Sundowns this season. They dumped the Brazilians out of the MTN8 semi-finals and went on to be crowned champions at the expense of Highlands Park.
Both Butholezwe Ncube of AmaZulu FC and Tamsanqa `Gabuza of Supersport United run to hard at the ball during the match at Kings Park Stadium on 12 January. Photo: Gerahrd Duraan/BackpagePix
A top-three finish will propel SuperSport to continental football next season and that’s why Tembo wants his troops to cement their place on the log.
“Most definitely as a team we would want to go back there again. It is good for the players. It is good for the brand as well. We did well the last time we were there. We reached the final. We had teams like TP Mazembe giving us respect because of the performances that we put in there. We want to go back there.
It will be very good. We’ve got players to do that. For young players, it will be part of their development as well to go and play in that stage. It will be (a) great experience for them to play different teams with different cultures and also travel. It is good for development.” Tembo said.