AmaZulu FC will face off with a struggling Marumo Gallants side in a DStv Premiership match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 8pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).
Usuthu bounced back to winning ways in style in the league when they hammered Kaizer Chiefs 4-0 at home last weekend having been winless in two matches before facing the Soweto giants.
The KwaZulu-Natal giants find themselves placed sixth on the DStv Premiership standings - three points behind fourth-placed Chiefs, but they are only two points above 12th-placed Golden Arrows
Romain Folz, the AmaZulu head coach, cautioned his charges that they cannot afford to relax after their massive win over Chiefs and he will be keen to mastermind a victory over his former club, Gallants.
“I expect a good performance and a good result [against Marumo Gallants]," Folz said.
"My players don’t have a right to be overly-excited right now. It’s a league and every game is important, so we can’t relax after a victory.
“We need to have the same emotion when we lose and when we lose, we need to be able to keep the same level of composure and commitment every single game.”
Meanwhile, Gallants stretched their winless run to five matches in the DStv Premiership when they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Richards Bay at home last weekend.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa occupy the 16th spot on the league standings - three points behind 13th-placed Stellenbosch FC and a win over AmaZulu will see the Limpopo side climb out of the relegation zone if other results go their way.
Dan Malesela, the Gallants head coach, felt that they didn't deserve to lose to Richards Bay and he hopes that players who are coming back from their respective injuries help the team return to winning ways.
“This is not a game we deserved to lose because this [loss] was self-inflicted. First of all, we missed a lot of chances in the first half, we had a player halfway line and then we made a tackle and got a red card," Malesela said.
"That was not necessary, it put us on the back foot. We had two of our players going for the same ball – both of them lost the ball and we conceded. The same thing happened with the second goal. We are our own enemies.”
“Hopefully, other players who were injured will come back and help. And let’s see who we can bring in and how better we can play."
AMAZULU: PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ramahlwe Mphahlele: The veteran defender produced a Man of the Match performance against Chiefs - scoring the second goal while being rock-solid at the back. Mphahlele will be eager to replicate the same form against Bahlabane Ba Ntwa.
George Maluleka: The experienced central midfielder was also outstanding during the game against Chiefs - providing two assists on the night as his superb corner-kicks were headed home. Maluleka's delivery from set-pieces is likely to unsettle Gallants.
MARUMO GALLANTS: PLAYERS TO WATCH
Katlego Otladisa: The dribbling wizard has a knack for creating chances for his teammates having provided the most assists (three) than any other Gallants this term. Otladisa's dribbling skills and passing ability will pose a threat to Usuthu's defence.
Ranga Chivaviro: The Limpopo-born marksman has impressively scored three goals from two starts in the league this season for Gallants. Chivaviro will be confident of adding to his tally and he help his side snap their five-match winless run.