HISTORY beckons for Maritzburg United. They are 90 minutes away from possibly playing in their first cup final.
The Team of Choice welcome SuperSport United tomorrow for the second leg of the MTN8 semifinal at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg (8.15pm).
United head into this game with an away goal in the pocket, scored in the first leg in Tshwane two weeks ago, after a 1-1 draw. Head coach Fadlu Davids said the only approach to this match was a pragmatic one.
Said Davids: “We can’t really open ourselves up in this match. They are quick on the counter-attack. We don’t want to be in a situation where we are chasing the match because we say we want to score first.
“We need to be smart in our approach. The longer the match stays at a 0-0 scoreline the better for us. We need to be pragmatic.”
Davids added that should he manage to lead Maritzburg to their first cup final he would not take credit. “The players have worked hard for the club to be where it is.
“We are 90 minutes from our first ever cup final and that is all because of the players. They should get credit, not me. Playing in the final would be good for the club and good motivation for the players early in the season.”
Davids said they would once again miss Kenyan defender Brian Onyango, who is yet to play a match this season. Onyango missed the start of the season due to work permit issues.
Davids said the issue had been sorted out – the reason he would not be available tomorrow is because he suffered a hamstring injury playing for his country.
Siyanda Xulu is likely to continue to partner Bevan Fransman at the back.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs defender agrees with his coach’s approach to tomorrow’s match. He said they would be happy to sit back and defend their away goal.
Said Xulu: “Yes, we’re playing at home but that doesn’t mean we need to approach this match blindfolded. SuperSport are dangerous and we can’t open ourselves up because we could be in trouble. We did that in the first match and went a goal down. This time around we will hit them when necessary.
“We need to approach this match with caution.”
