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Last chance for Zobel
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It has been the worst possible start to the league campaign for the Dube Birds with only one point from eight matches, but their captain, Lefa Tsutsulupa, is adamant that no one is to blame, “You can’t really point fingers at any one in particular. Our mental approach has been wrong. We need to stay positive and once our confidence is up everything will change.”The Birds are placed at the bottom of the log standings with just one point to their name and at this stage of the season look likely relegation candidates. Tsutsulupa, however, is unyielding in his belief that his team can turn things around, “We can definitely get out of the relegation zone. We just need to win one game to turn things around.
In order to do that the Birds midfielder says, “We just need to work on our confidence. The guys in the team have the talent, they are just not confident enough and we lose concentration at vital points in the game. We did not become a bad team overnight. We are creative enough and we have shown that by scoring goals this season.”
SuperSport in retrospect, by their high standards, have had a disappointing start to the season and find themselves placed ninth after picking up only 11 points from nine games.
Still, there is a belief inside the camp that they can defend their league title as SuperSport striker Kermit Erasmus said, “We can still win the league; it is still a possibility and everyone at the club is aiming for that.”
The Matsatsantsa will be coming into this match on a high note after they defeated Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 in their last league match and will be hoping that the win will prove a turning point in their Absa Premiership campaign.
“It was a good win over Celtic and we will look to build on that. We have continued to work hard in training. We are focussing on our finishing because if you take your chances you win games” added Erasmus.
In head-to-head stats, Swallows and SuperSport have met 39 times in the league since 1990. Matsatsantsa have won 16 games to the Birds’ 13 and outscored the Soweto side 51 goals to 45. The teams have already met once this season and played to a 2-2 draw in a MTN8 quarterfinal (Swallows advanced after penalties).
However, the Tshwane team did a league ‘double’ over the Birds last season and have not lost to them since the 2005/06 season. This time round, though, Tsutsulupa says things will be different, “We need the three points more than they do. I think if we apply the pressure they will crack.”
Adding further tension to the match is the fact that if Swallows do lose, their coach Rainer Zobel will be axed as the head man. One man trying to stop that from happening is Tsutsulupa, “He is a good coach, but if results don’t go your way as the coach your job is always on the line. I hope we win and he stays.”
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