SuperSport United assistant coach Grant Johnson is confident that they will beat the drop this season as Andre Arendse begins his tenure against Cape Town City at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday, March 30.
Kick-off is at 5:45pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
Current form:
Arendse has been handed the reins on an interim basis after Gavin Hunt parted ways with Matsatsantsa by mutual consent on March 21, paying the price for a poor run of form which left them languishing second from bottom in the Betway Premiership standings.
Hunt's final game in charge was the 3-1 reverse to TS Galaxy on March 11 and he had only recorded one win in his last 10 matches, with six of those ending in defeat.
The Tshwane outfit have collected just 21 points from their opening 21 fixtures and they are one point adrift of safety, although any of the six clubs above them could be dragged into the relegation quagmire.
The Citizens have also reshuffled their technical bench following the announcement that Muhsin Ertugral left his role by mutual agreement on March 17.
Ertugral was initially appointed as technical director in January, but he also replaced Eric Tinkler as interim coach until the end of the season. However, the Turk's stint did not go according to plan despite making a promising start.
City went winless in their last nine outings, picking up just three points in the process, with a 1-0 defeat to Marumo Gallants on March 15 heralding the end of his short spell.
Diogo Peral has been tasked with leading the team for the remainder of the campaign and will look to improve on their position of 13th in the final seven games, starting with the trip to Polokwane.
What was said:
SuperSport United assistant coach Grant Johnson
"We're not even focussed on that [relegation] – from our point of view, we've got to take it game by game, every game from now until the end of the season is a cup final, and we've got to see it as that and treat it as that," he added.
"So where we're sitting on the table, I don't think we should be there, we've got a very good team, we've got some quality players with some depth in the team, and I'm confident that we can get out of trouble."
Players to watch:
SuperSport United - Nyiko Mobbie isn't known for his goalscoring exploits, but he opened his Matsatsantsa account with a scorcher against Galaxy when sent a lightning bolt into the back of the net from the edge of the box. The 30-year-old right-back will want to focus on his defending though, after the Rockets found plenty of joy down their left flank.
Cape Town City - Fortune Makaringe's debut season in Cape Town has been hampered by injury and he is still working his way back to full fitness since recovering from the ankle problem that sidelined him for 13 games. The 31-year-old midfielder had a golden opportunity to get off the mark for his new club against Kaizer Chiefs on March 12 when he broke through on goal, but Bruce Bvuma pulled off a superb save at point-blank range.
Head-to-Head: (Last Five Betway Premiership Meetings)
Matches - 5
SuperSport wins - 3
CT City wins - 1
Draws - 1