Royal AM and Chippa United eye Top 8 spot

Looking to break into the top eight of the DStv Premiership, Royal AM and Chippa United will do battle in their next league fixture, with the tie set to take place at the Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Kick-off is at 3pm (SA, GMT+2)

With one win, three defeats and the single draw in their last five league games, Royal AM’s inconsistent form sees them occupy 10th spot on the table.

Abram Nteo’s side face Chippa United after a demoralising 3-1 defeat against Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium on 15 January.

Royal AM could take solace in their most recent home fixture, which took place on 8 January, where the popular club recorded a 2-0 win against AmaZulu at the Chatsworth Stadium.

Speaking after the 3-1 loss to the Team of Choice, Nteo lamented his side’s individual errors, while looking to the positives in learning from their mistakes.

"We made a couple of mistakes, individual mistakes and it ended up as goals,” Nteo said.

“We talked about it, we said that whenever you have the ball, you must rotate the ball very quickly. We delayed on the ball, too many touches on the ball, they pressured and countered us.

“So it’s something our players need to learn and we need to make sure we learn quickly."

With the Chilli Boys being the away side, Morgan Mammila’s outfit are currently winless in their last six DStv Premiership games and are among the worst performing teams in the league at the moment.

Their recent form on the road have not made for good reading either and are on a run of two consecutive defeats as the traveling outfit.

Chippa go into the encounter on the back of a 1-1 draw against Cape Town City, a game where Mammila praised his troops for putting in a good performance.

“The stats will tell you, with this team, if the stats say that this team did not perform, then I will say ‘Oh okay’,” Mammila said.

“If the stats say that this team did perform, we created so many chances, then there are games where I’d say hard luck. You know, one-on-one with the keeper, just to direct to the corner but I can’t fault my boys.

“They give it their all, you can hear the supporters, they are the happiest people. That's what we are here for, to make them happy.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Royal AM:

Ricardo Nascimento: During a sticky period of their campaign, Nascimento’s experience will no doubt be relied upon. As a decorated player in the PSL, the Brazilian has been a regular for Royal AM this season. Nascimento’s calm demeanour and ball carrying abilities has been crucial to Royal AM’s brand of football.

Ruzaigh Gamildien: Much like that of Nascimento, Gamildien is an experienced campaigner in local football. However, the versatile star will be tasked to provide the difference on the other end of the pitch, whether it be as a starter or from the bench.

Chippa United:

Sergio Kammies: Used as a winger, Kammies's thrust down the right hand flank could be the difference in the tie. With Royal AM pushing up the field, Kammies could have acres of space to run into.

Roscoe Pietersen: Able to play in numerous positions, Pietersen is one of Chippa United’s most street smart players. Largely used as a centre back this season, Pietersen will be looked at as the leader of the Chilli Boys backline.