As they prepare to face Baroka FC away from home on Sunday, Maritzburg United coach Eric Tinkler is wary of their relegation-threatened opponent but hopes their mental advantage can help them.
The Telkom Knockout Cup losing finalists are looking to finish in the top eight of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Tinkler has challenged his men to focus on their upcoming matches.
In addition, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder has also expressed relief in the possibility of having defender Siyanda Xulu and midfielder Phumlani Ntshangase back from injuries.
“There are no easy matches especially the teams that are fighting for their lives in the bottom in the league and you know Baroka have shown they are a good team,” Tinkler told the media.
“They have started the season very, very well and I thought they were well structured when we played them here. It was very, very difficult to get the result against them.
“I think it’s going to be the same and the only difference is they’ll be a lot hungrier than when we played them in the first round.
"So, we have to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for what’s going to be a tough match but we've got to go there looking to play positive football and look to play without fear and try to have that psychological edge which we have over them [and it] can work in our favour.”
Speaking about the possible return of two key players in the form of Xulu and Ntshangase, the 49-year-old manager explained he will wait for the doctor’s report.
“Siyanda Xulu came through for us without any issues as we played a friendly and that’s good for us, we are just waiting for the doctor to give us an all clear,” he added.
“That’s the same as Phumlani, he also played 45 minutes now. [We] have a lot more options in terms of a defensive midfielder and a defender where we were a little bit thin.
“That bodes well for the upcoming games. We have Cape Town City which is also sitting down there – another tough game."
On maintaining their focus as they have 12 matches to wrap up the 2019/20 season, Tinkler has placed the emphasis on reaching their targets.
“It’s very important to remain fully focused because we have set ourselves targets for the month of January and we want to achieve those objectives," he continued.
"There are still two very important matches and if we can get positive results in both of those matches then obviously we will be in a positive position in terms of the league.
“The confidence, the motivation and everything in training, as well as the mood, becomes very different and you start playing with more freedom and less pressure. It becomes important for us to ensure we collect what we can from these two matches and reach those targets.”
Tinkler's men now occupy sixth spot on the log table with 26 points from 18 games and will look to add more woes to Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele who are out to avoid the relegation axe.
