David vs Goliath as log leaders Sundowns take on foot placed Baroka

It can be very easy to fall into the slippery slope of assuming that playing against a team that is at the foot of a log will be a walk in the park, but Manqoba Mngqithi’s experience in the game has taught him that struggling teams can be an Achilles heel if taken for granted. Mamelodi Sundowns, sitting comfortably at the summit of the log, are up against a rock-bottom Baroka FC side which has collected just 10 points in 14 outings.  

These games are coming in thick and fast and this one is another tough one because Baroka has not been doing well of late and it is always tough when you play against people who are struggling because they have nothing to lose, said Mngqithi.

Even though they command a 12-point lead at the top of the log ahead of a resurgent Kaizer Chiefs – and an astonishing 27 points clear off Bakgaga – they still have the sanity to go through the finer details in analysing Kgoloko Thobejane’s team. Mngqithi anticipates a challenging encounter against a side that has only managed one win over them in their last 10 league meetings over the years.    

“Baroka will work very hard and give it their all ad they are one team that gives us a lot of hard work but we are still optimistic that if we put our A-game, we still have a chance to go through, but like we always say, we are not entitled to win any match because it not always easy playing these teams in the relegation zone, they always pull surprises here and there,” said the Masandawana mentor.

Mngqithi added: “We have to be very vigilant ad ever take them for granted and give the game the respect that it requires because you don’t want to get that surprise package where a team nobody thought would beat you, ends up beating you. We will look into their matches and profile them correctly and come with a strategy with a team that we think can help us in this match.”

The tie is scheduled for a late Tuesday afternoon kick-off, 5:30pm, at the Loftus Versfeld where the defending champions only lost three times over the two seasons and a half – one of those defeats was handed down by Baroka in August last year.