Maritzburg United confident ahead of taxing week

Maritzburg United are preparing for a challenging week on the road which will see them head to Pretoria to face SuperSport United on Wednesday and then to East London to play Chippa United at the weekend.

The midweek game brings together two teams brimming with confidence. United go into the clash fresh from their thrilling come from behind victory over Golden Arrows in a KZN derby last Friday while Matsatsantsa will carry the momentum from their weekend win over log leaders Kaizer Chiefs into the showdown at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Maritzburg coach Eric Tinkler says his team will have to maintain focus.

After beating Arrows, United still has five games remaining in January. Tinkler says it is a challenging schedule to contend with due to his small squad.

He remains without the services of the experienced Siyanda Xulu and hard running midfielder Phumlani Ntshangase who are making their way back from injury. Tinkler says they will have to dig deep and make sure their players recover well after games.

The game against SuperSport signals the start of United’s second round. At the halfway stage of their 2019/2020 campaign, United have accumulated 21 points and are seventh on the log.

Tinkler says he had hoped to pick up a few more points along the way but also made mention of their strides since last season. When he took over at a similar stage of the season last year, the club was rock bottom. – Report by Thahir Asmal