Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup final against TS Galaxy Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup final against TS Galaxy. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has warned his side against letting their unbeaten record against TS Galaxy go to their heads ahead of Saturday’s Carling Knockout Cup final.
Stellies are enjoying an unprecedented undefeated streak against the Rockets, having not lost to their next opponents the eight times they’ve met. The two teams will now meet in the deciding match of the inaugural knockout competition at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban (3pm kick-off) with an eye on taking home the lucrative ‘big cheque’.
The winner of the competition will walk away with R9.6 million from their four matches, with the bulk being the R6.6 million earned from winning the final. Each stage has a staggered cash reward, with teams earning a R250 000 participation fee for every appearance. The
Cape Winelands outfit have won six of their eight meetings and drawn the other two against Galaxy – a clear dominance of the fixture, with the next encounter set to be the most important.
Barker, who’s in his second major cup final after leading the University of Pretoria to the Nedbank Cup decider in 2009, has sounded a warning to his men to avoid being led into a false sense of comfort, given their superiority over the fixture.
“It’s important that I first understand it and convey it to the players, that finals are different occasions. Form goes out of the window. We can’t look at previous form against Galaxy,” Barker said this week. “The more a team don’t beat you, the more they desire to get that first win against you. So, I am sure Galaxy would like to break that hoodoo of not beating us ... they’ll come with that desire to do it.”
Galaxy displayed all of their best attributes when they eliminated AmaZulu in the last round as they controlled their opposition in defence, while being a menace on the counter-attack, with striker Lehlohonolo Mojela the main culprit on the day. Barker offered up a detailed analysis of his next opponents as he identified dangerous men and the kind of approach he expects from his counterpart Sead Ramovic in the opposite dugout.
“They (Galaxy) are traditionally a difficult team to break down. They’ve shown in the past that they have the ability to keep clean sheets, and to be tough nuts to crack. They are wellorganised defensively,” Barker said.
“They’ve also improved on their attacking force … (Higor) Vidal, the No 10, is a really smart player, and wingers like (Siphiwe) Mahlangu, (Kamogelo) Sebelebele and Lindokuhle Mbatha – if he starts – are also clever and tricky players to deal with. “They’ll be good in transition ... they have a striker up front who’s got good energy and good pace.
“I anticipate that they’ll be solid and compact. We need to be proactive, not reactive.
“It’s a final, so we need to approach the game with a positive mindset and the ones that are forcing the pace, etc.” Stellenbosch are in their first major cup final, and will hope to seal their appearance with a historic win, while Galaxy could make it two out of two in title deciders after their 2019 Nedbank Cup triumph.
IOL Sport
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