Hoping to bounce back from a negative start, Chippa United is set to play against Richards Bay at the Buffalo City Municipality Stadium on Saturday evening in the Betway Premiership.
Kick-off is at 8pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
CURRENT FORM
Chippa lost their opening match in the league against Orlando Pirates and will be looking to perform better against the Natal Rich Boyz.
Currently, the Eastern Cape outfit is 11th on the league standings, with no points. At the end of last season, the team finished in 12th place.
As for Richards Bay, the KZN team won their opening fixture against TS Galaxy and they are occupying 6th position on the log.
They are still on a high having avoided relegation last season through the PSL Relegation playoffs, and the mission for the team is to retain their top-flight status.
WHAT WAS SAID
Chippa United head coach Kwanele Kopo has shown appreciation for new signing Andile Jali after he came on in their last league match against Pirates.
“He is not 100 per cent fit yet, but because of the challenges we have in central midfield, we felt that even if he gave us 60 minutes,” said Kopo.
“We were hoping that he could give us 60 minutes of leadership, and we knew with him, we would be able to be on the ball more. We needed an Andile to guide our build-up and give these youngsters confidence.”
Richards Bay coach Brandon Truter is glad that his charges grabbed all three points in their opener but insists that there’s still work to be done.
"The structure is good, clean-sheet in our first game, so we have to build on this going forward and I'm happy with what I'm seeing now. There is much to look forward to here,” he said.
“We have to find solutions to improve faster. All in all, it will be a tough season for us, but I'm still a positive guy and hopefully we can change this thing faster."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Stanley Nwabali, Chippa United - The goalkeeper has been a hot topic during the transfer window but as it stands he seems to be staying put. A clean sheet will make a statement for the player in this fixture, as according to reports, the offers from other clubs were paying too little.
Yanele Mbuthuma, Richards Bay - The 22-year-old forward was instrumental in the Natal Rich Boyz staying in the Betway Premiership, and he will be expected to turn up for this fixture too by possibly supplying goals.