Black Leopards caretaker coach, Alan Clark says it will be important for his side to win the Nedbank Cup encounter against rivals Baroka FC for a morale boost in the league. Leopards and Baroka will play in the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup at Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane on Saturday afternoon.
Limpopo rivals, Baroka FC and Black Leopards FC will battle it out for a spot in the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup. Both teams had a good run in the competitioon in 2011 when Baroka reached the semifinals, and Leopards made it to the finals.
Clark says the cup game is a great opportunity for them to return to their winning ways.
“The Nedbank can give us great opportunity to have a distraction away from the pressure of the league.”
Black Leopards’ alternative training ground in Polokwane is at the Ranch hotel, which is now being used as a quarantine site for South Africans returning from Wuhan, in China this week.
Clark says this will not affect their training.
“We wont be able to use the Ranch. As far as I understand, it will be on a lock-down for 21 days, but the Ranch is not our primary training facilities. So, it doesn’t affect us greatly. We have our primary facilities at Ladanna.”
Baroka coach, Dylan Kerr says he received correspondence from the Football Association in England about measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Kerr says he shared the correspondence with players.
“I got an email from PFA which is Professional Football Association in England just giving us the players and the club the role and responsibility we have to combat the spread of this coronavirus. Hopefully, they read email that I sent them. Don’t drink at the same bottle; don’t drink at the same cup,” says Kerr.
Kerr says they want to beat Leopards to make up for the losses they suffered in the league this season.
“We focus on Nedbank. The league close down for everybody. This is Nedbank quarterfinals. You know, the frustration of the PSL ABSA Premiership … we are all on 23 points. I think Leopards at the bottom with 20 on the same number of games now. So, it hurt them last week they will look for a revenge,” says Kerr.
Black Leopards are also not performing well in the league. They are at the bottom of the log, and they suffered their fourth successive defeat this week.
Meanwhile, the Premier Soccer League says it will not comment on the safety measures in stadiums for coronavirus because the government is dealing with the situation.
