Struggling Dube Birds face stern Babina Noko test

Swallows FC will face the ambitious Sekhukhune United in their next DStv Premiership encounter, with the tie set to take place on Tuesday evening, August 23, at the Dobsonville Stadium.

Kick-off is at 7:30pm CAT (SA, GMT +2)

The Dube Birds began their 2022/23 League campaign on an inconsistent note and have already recorded two losses in the DStv Premiership.

Prior to the loss against Usuthu, Swallows recorded a 0-0 draw against Maritzburg while picking up maximum points in a 3-2 win over Cape Town City in their second fixture of the campaign.

Speaking about the defeat to AmaZulu, stand-in coach Musa Nyatama explained that he was not happy with his side’s performance and that they will look to correct their mistakes heading into the Babina Noko tie.

"Overall I’m not happy, I must be honest,” Nyatama said.

"I'm not happy how we lost our shape, how we didn’t press instead of pressing.

"It's one of those games whereby you need to go back home, do your homework, do you corrections and see where you went wrong.”

As for Sekhukhune United, coach Kaitano Tembo’s side recently featured in a 1-1 draw against the reigning league champions.

While Mamelodi Sundowns bossed the possession statistics in the first half, Sekhukhune sprung to life in the subsequent 45 and took the game to the Tshwane side.

With two draws, a loss and the single victory, Tembo will be hoping to correct their ways given their stance as an ambitious club in the PSL.

Reflecting on the Downs tie, Tembo spoke about his side giving the opposition too much respect but was happy with the performance at the end of the 90 minutes.

"We didn’t have a good start, I think we gave them too much respect, we were slow in everything,” Tembo said.

"We were only reacting to their movements, so we were always a second slower.

“Second half we changed, we played with a little bit more purpose. We fought as a team and hence the equaliser."In transition we could have hurt them especially if we had good final decisions as well as quality on the ball

"Overall we worked very hard, I'm quite happy with the performance of the guys.”

Having played each other for the first time last season, the record is even between the two in the head-to-head battle. Sekhukhune United recorded a 1-0 win against Swallows at the Dobsonville Stadium on November 7, 2021 while the Dube Birds picked up a 1-0 victory in the return fixture in February earlier this year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Swallows FC:

Keagan Allan: Now integrated into the team, the defender was one of the Dube Birds best players in their 3-2 defeat against AmaZulu. Allan is effective in both boxes, while being trusted with penalty duties showcased that the club value his composure in high pressure situations.

Waseem Isaacs: In leading the attacking line, Isaacs' robust approach can worry opposition defenders. With Sekhukhune's rigid defending against Sundowns, Isaacs’ physicality will be needed.

Sekhukhune United:

Abednigo Mosiatlhaga: Mosiatlhaga came off the bench in Sekhukhune’s recent outing and provided an injection of pace and trickery. The diminutive attacker provides the Babina Noko technical team with a selection headache, however, Mosiatlhaga will be a useful addition whether as a starter or as a substitute.

Daniel Cardoso: The former Kaizer Chiefs defender has been a regular for Sekhukhune this season. Cardoso played in a starring role against Sundowns, especially in resisting the press while playing out from the back with composure.