Coach Sly Mosala is confident that his players will deliver when the University of Pretoria take on Orlando Pirates in the second quarterfinal of the MultiChoiceDiski Challenge next week.
Tuks edged Kaizer Chiefs 3-1 in the final group stage match to finish fourth in Group A, thus setting up a clash against the Group B winners Pirates. The two sides will face off at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, Durban on January 31.
The Tuks’ mentor had previously stated the challenge they face in preparing against the opponents, saying sometimes it’s difficult because the teams could bring different first team players. But he says that doesn’t unsettle them.
“You must remember one thing that, we fielded a full professional team when we played Chiefs. Most our players are in the first team, they are under 23 so it’s an advantage to us. Even when we go to Pirates, I think we still going to field about 90 percent of the first team players, of which one or two are suspended so they cannot play Diski Challenge.”
The coach opted to be diplomatic when asked about the preparations of the team ahead of their match against Pirates, saying “No you can’t prepare for Diski Challenge, you pick the players to go and play the game. It’s a reserve league game.”
Mosala further revealed that he can’t read too much on his opponents’ tactics during the group stage, mentioning that they will just take the game as it comes.
“You can’t pick up anything, because obviously even them you don’t know who they are going to bring from the first team. So you have to be prepared for anything, you go to the game, you get the team sheet and them you take it from there,” he continued.
Pirates had an impressive record in their group stage, where the accumulated the most number of wins and also got the most points. But Mosala is not fazed by those stats.
“You must remember that it’s going to be a different ball game, because we are all in the knockout stage now. It will depend on the day whose top and who’s able to perform to the best of his ability and then win the game.”
“That is gone, it is erased,” he said in reference to the previous matches.
Asked if his players will be motivated by the fact that they are facing another big side in their next match having beaten Chiefs, the coach said every match is the same for his youngsters.
“As I mentioned, you must remember that we using the professional players. To them it’s same as any other game. They have to go out there, do their best and try to win the game obviously because we are in the knockout stage,” he emphasised, while also stating that they’ve not added any new faces into the squad.
A number of the Diski Challenge teams had to release some of their players to the Under-17 and Under-20 national teams, who are preparing for the upcoming continental tournaments. Mosala revealed that he will be missing one key player for their match.
“It’s only one player playing in the Under-20 SipheleleNtuli. He won’t be available obviously, they are playing friendlies preparing for the African Youth Championships (AYC) . But we have players that can do the job and try to take us through,” the coach concluded.
Tuks’ encounter with the young Buccaneers will kick off at 12pm after the first quarterfinal between SuperSport United and Platinum Stars.
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