JOHANNESBURG - Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has raised fears about breaking down teams coached by Gavin Hunt ahead of today’s DStv Premiership showdown against Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha (5pm kick-off).
Apart from defence, Mngqithi is also preparing to counter Chippa’s dead-ball plays since Hunt has always had an ace up his sleeve at set-piece time.
Mngqithi remembered Chippa relied on a set-piece to kick-start their season on a winning note over the weekend.
“Knowing Gavin Hunt, we are expecting a tough match because the goal that they scored against Sekhukhune was from a set-piece,” said Mngqithi.
“Chippa have some very strong players in midfielder Sammy Seabi and central defender Vuluyeke Zulu. Even their striker Bienvenu Eva Nga is strong in aerial situations. He is good with direct free-kicks as well.
“We can expect a game that will have a lot of aerial duels. Hunt’s teams are never easy to break down. I also foresee a possibility of them sitting in a little bit, and wait for us to come at us.
“On Saturday, they played with three centre-backs, two wing-backs and three central midfielders against Sekhukhune. You can expect a game that will be a little bit frustrating, with a little bit of directness.”
Anything that Mngqithi may have gleaned from Chippa’s match against Premiership debutants Sekhukhune may prove fruitless since Hunt is preparing a different blueprint for their Sundowns clash.
“The way I want them to play (against Sundowns) is not the way we played (against Sekhukhune),” said Hunt. “It is about getting points. You can play beautiful football, but you need points to stay in the league.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty, but I don’t care about that. It won’t be easy against Sundowns, that’s for sure.
“There are going to be bigger tasks ahead of us, that’s for sure, in the coming weeks. But to start with three points, especially where we are and where we have been, we need to try to build from that.”
Now that Mngqithi has taken stock of the threat that Chippa pose, Sundowns may make several changes to their run-on XI.
“We profiled Chippa to see what threats they can pose, and we had to find solutions,” said Mngqithi.
“These solutions will talk to the make-up of our line-up. We have injury issues and that has made life a little bit difficult.
“We might have to change a team that has been doing well after two games. Ideally, we would not like to tamper with the team, but we may have to bring back other players who can help the team do well.”
Both teams are unbeaten going into the match, and in three previous clashes, Sundowns enjoy a 3-0 advantage in the head-to-head count.
@MihlaliBaleka
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