Chippa United and Cape Town City will do battle in the DStv Premiership on Wednesday evening with the Mother City-based side being one of the most in -orm teams in the league at the moment.
Kick-Off is at 5pm CAT
The game will take place at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium this week as Chippa look to overcome their inconsistent form during the run-in period of the league.
While Chippa occupy the 12th spot on the log, the Port Elizabeth side hover just three points away from the relegation play-off zone. The Chilli Boys will be hoping to avoid the possibility of dropping places, with their recent form not being in their favour.
In five league games Chippa won just one match while recording three draws and one loss along the way. With the Chilli Boys playing at home, their record at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium has not looked encouraging either. In their last 15 home games, Chippa won just one encounter at the popular ground.
Chippa United coach Kurt Lentjies will no doubt look to the services of Bienvenu Eva Nga, with the attacker being the club’s top scorer this season. After their 0-0 draw against Orlando Pirates, Lentjies showed special praise for the Cameroon striker.
“Even Eva Nga worked off his socks,” said Lentjies after the Bucs encounter.
“I mean to play a position he is not used to and to drop in midfield things like that, you know that’s the sacrifices we make for Chippa United and the brand and where we want to go forward to."
For City however, coach Eric Tinkler’s and his charges have been in fine form. City are unbeaten in the previous 10 league games and more recently, came away with all three points in a 2-1 win over Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium.
Despite losing a number of first-team players in the recent January transfer window, Cape Town City went about their business in an impressive fashion as they occupy third spot on the log.
Tinkler reiterated their desire to finish in the top four after their morale-boosting victory over the Glamour Boys.
"Our intensity in training has increased threefold and you see it from the performances on the field,” said Tinkler after beating Chiefs.
“The guys are hungry to want to achieve things and that's what we want at Cape Town City, we want to achieve things.
"We want to fight for that top-four position and that was the major change, like I said, the unity among everyone at the club right now is very high."
In the head-to-head matches played, City hold a slight advantage over their opponents. Over the last six league fixtures between the two sides, City won three times and lost once, with the rest of the results being stalemates.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chippa United:
Beinvenu Eva Nga: The man from Cameroon has been a shining light for Chippa United this season, despite many of the club’s struggles. With 10 league goals to his name, City will be hoping to keep the attacker at bay.Sammy Seabi: The midfielder put in a couple of solid performances in the middle of the park in recent encounters and is in fact the last Chippa United player to find the back of the net.
Cape Town City:
Mduduzi Mdantsane: The attacker is currently City’s leading goal getter this season, with eight strikes in 22 games so far. Mdantsane returned to the starting XI against Mamelodi Sundowns after not featuring for two fixtures prior. However, the star performer will look to the Chippa tie with the hope of getting his name on the scoresheet again.
Craig Martin: The versatile player managed to get his name on the scoresheet against Chiefs in their most recent DStv Premiership tie as he put in a solid shift against the Glamour Boys.