Michaelson Ntokozo Gumede

By Ntokozo Gumede

Journalist


Baroka can’t draw a blank

Baroka FC will be playing their 100th Absa Premiership match against the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight.


Bakgaga head coach Wedson Nyirenda anticipates a tightly contested affair as Downs don’t want to lose ground in the title chase while Baroka are in search of a first league win, following four losses on the trot.

READ: Nyirenda worried about his job after ‘iconic’ Benni’s sacking  

“We have moved from one level to another and we couldn’t have aked for a better team than this one to play on this occasion,” said Nyirenda.

” It suits us well. We are playing a team which has not done very well in the past two games and we have not seen much of them. They need the three points and they don’t want to create a big gap between themselves and the team at the top (Kaizer Chiefs).”

Last time out, the Polokwane-based outfit lost 1-0 to AmaZulu and they find themselves lingering at the bottom of the standings – something the Zimbabwe-born mentor wants to turn around.

“We are in a bad situation so we need to grind out a win and it makes this fixture very important for both of the teams. We were touching on the defensive part and the attacking part in our preparation. We are lacking a little bit in defence because we have players who have not played together for a long time,” he said.

Nyirenda added that his players were under extreme pressure but he has been working on their mental strength ahead of the mouthwatering clash.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the players and we need mental strength. It will be a free game to watch so players must be ready to face crowds like these,”

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