Clayton Daniels wants vital points against former side

Given Mamelodi Sundowns’ current form and their head to head against Maritzburg United, having dominated this fixture in the last 10 league meetings – Clayton Daniels is aware that the Team of Choice have their backs against the wall as they gear up for a DStv Premiership tie with the defending champions on Saturday evening.

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“No one expects us to beat Sundowns but we have to go out there and compete and we should take advantage of our home games and we have to leave everything on the field. We are playing against a team that is very high in confidence, they just won 3-0 and also had a big win in the Caf Champions League last week,” said Daniels.  

“They are an all-round quality team, it does not matter who they play, you can always expect a talented team. We have no choice but to raise our game and show them that we also want the points, we will not make it easy for them. We are far from safe but if we can get five wins out of the remaining games, we will be able to survive. We have to fight to get maximum points in our home games and we will stand a chance to survive,” he added.

United lost their last game against Golden Arrows in the KwaZulu-Natal derby about a week ago, leaving them just four points off the automatic relegation spot. Downs coach Manqoba Mngqithi is wary of going up against a struggling side and would not want to see them turnaround their fortunes at the expense of his Masandawana side.  

“These wounded teams can be very dangerous. Maritzburg have not been at their best and we would not want them to come back against us. But our players understand how important it is to give their best shot and give the respect that is required. Our journey is still very long and we have a big responsibility to represent our badge with pride. This title is far from being clinched but we are not too focused on that, we are focusing more on what we always do better our performances,” said Mngqithi.