‘We saw their friendlies in pre-season. If we were playing Marumo Gallants or Siwelele we might be a bit in the dark,’ said the Stellies head coach.
Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker believes there are benefits to playing a high-profile team like Kaizer Chiefs in their opening game of the Betway Premiership season.
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Amakhosi and Stellies will meet on Sunday at Athlone Stadium, and Barker believes his side can gain from having studied Chiefs’ pre-season matches.
Barker – playing Chiefs early is ‘a bit easier’
“From a motivational level it is a bit easier,” he told reporters at the Betway Premiership launch in Sandton this week.
“It is the first game of the season and there will be a lot of anticipation from our fans and Chiefs’ fans. We expect the stadium will be full. The players will be really motivated.
“Chiefs have also had a lot of exposure. We saw their friendlies in pre-season. If we were playing Marumo Gallants or Siwelele we might be a bit in the dark. With Chiefs we have more knowledge of how they do things and how they want to play.”
Stellenbosch have finished third in the Premiership table for two seasons in a row under Barker’s guidance. Chiefs, meanwhile, have failed to finish inside the top eight for the last two campaigns.
Nasreddine Nabi’s Amakhosi, however, did beat Stellenbosch three times last season. Chiefs won 2-1 at home to Stellenbosch in the Premiership in January, and then beat them 1-0 in the return fixture in Cape Town a month later.
Nabi’s side also beat Stellies 3-1 after extra time in Port Elizabeth in March in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals. Amakhosi ended up winning the Nedbank Cup, their first trophy in a decade.
“Stellenbosch are very tough opponents,” said Nabi.
“We managed to beat them three times last season, but they were very tough encounters that could have gone either way.
“It is not for nothing that they finished third and reached the semifinals of the Caf Confederation Cup.
‘A lot of confidence’
“We have all respect for them, but we are going to Cape Town with a lot of confidence to get a positive result.”
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Chiefs will be without Nedbank Cup Player of the Season Pule Mmodi for the clash with Stellies.
Mmodi is serving the second match of a two-game ban after being sent off against Sekhukhune United on May 17.