New boys Tuks and Chippa meet
The University of Pretoria and Chippa United will meet in their first ever top-flight clash in the Absa Premiership when they meet on Saturday evening at the Tuks Stadium, kick-off at 8:15pm CAT (SA, GMT+2). Live on SS4 and supersport.com
The match will be the first time the two clubs have met since their promotion from the National First Division in June and it has been put down as a battle between who is the better promoted side.
“I think everyone is looking at it to see who is better. We are obviously higher on the table but only Saturday can decide who is better,” Tuks striker Mame Niang said.
“Their [Chippa] draw to Pirates is a boost to them and that is good for them, but our confidence is high too. We are playing and we are looking forward to the game.”
The home side come into the game off a goalless draw to fellow university team, Bidvest Wits, and it is a result that has given them mixed emotions ahead of the encounter.
“We are a bit disappointed in the draw because we felt we were the better team. We didn’t take our chances and we need to improve on those problems,” added Niang.
“Myself and the others need to take them [the chances] more often. It is a positive that we had one point unlike our last time out [against Black Leopards].
“We have struggled at home but sooner or later it will come. We have been unfortunate at home, but we can’t beat ourselves up about it. We have to go out and win it.”
After a troubled start to the campaign the Chilli Boys have finally found some purpose under Farouk Abrahams- losing just one game in his five matches in charge.
His latest exposé was against the defending Champions, Orlando Pirates, where they managed to keep the Buccaneers at bay to hold them to a 0-0 draw.
“We play a high tempo game and sometimes the guys are going to cramp in the second half, but that is the risk we take. We don't play around in our half- we play a percentage football which is exciting,” the coach said after Wednesday night’s game.
“We play off the front man which means there are more goalscoring chances coming our way.
“I thought Pirates was confused in the first half and they didn't press us in our half at all which forced them to play it long. We play to our strengths and so far it is working.”
The draw has left the coach confident they can get a result in Pretoria, especially after seeing their goalkeeper Daouda Kassaly pull off some heroics against the Sea Robbers.
“We have Tuks next on Saturday and, you know, we think we can go there with this type of performance and take three points.
“Hats off to our goalkeeper Kassaly because I made him captain after our game two weeks ago against Ajax, where he made a couple of blunders. I made him captain and what a captain performance it was- I am very proud of him,” concluded the coach.
