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Stellies look to put Sundowns defeat behind them

rugby06 May 2024 12:05| © Mzansi Football
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Steve Barker © Backpage Pix

Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker is hoping his charges will quickly get over the disappointment of their Nedbank Cup exit and be in the right frame of mind when they meet AmaZulu in the DStv Premiership on Wednesday, after having their 25-match unbeaten run ended at the weekend.

Second-placed Stellenbosch are three points ahead of Orlando Pirates in the race for a berth in next season’s Caf Champions League and will need a win at home over AmaZulu to keep up their advantage.

But they go into the game on the back of a home defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns in the cup semifinal on Sunday, which brought their eight-month unbeaten streak to an end.

“Yeah, it's always a tough one when you have an unbeaten record that gets broken and you lose a semifinal after expending so much energy,” said Barker.

“I think it's a test again for us how we react to it. You know, we still have to be positive for the players, regardless of what happened against Sundowns.

“We've had a really good season with the possibility of finishing in the top three positions, as well as already winning a cup (Carling Knockout) and making two other cup semifinals,” he added.

“I don't think we need to put pressure on ourselves or be deflated because of one loss, which was to a really good team. I think it's important to realise that we are very competitive, we showed against Sundowns what we are capable of doing, so I think we need to be positive, we need to come back to work and know that we gave it our best. It wasn't to be but there's also a lot still to play for.”

Wednesday’s fixtures at the Danie Craven Stadium is the fourth home game in a row for Stellenbosch after beating Polokwane City 5-0 last weekend and Lamontville Golden Arrows 3-0 last Wednesday. It moved them to 49 points – their highest-ever tally of points in a single league season.

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