Durban, November 25 (Absa Premier League) – Thanda Royal Zulu head into their Absa Premier League game against Santos on Wednesday having slipped to their worst position on the table this season.
After the strong start that kept them at the summit for the opening weeks, the Amabhubesi have now dropped to 12th following back-to-back defeats to Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in their last two outings.
The game against the Buccaneers was especially disappointing for coach Roger Palmgren and he vented his frustration in the aftermath describing referee Daniel Bennet’s decision making as “unfair”.
According to the Swede, Bennet failed to award his team a legitimate penalty, while his dismissal of Japie Motale early in the second half proved crucial as Thanda went down 4-2.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game against the People’s Team in Hammersdale, Palmgren’s assistant Johan Eriksson said that our boys should forget about the last two results and instead look ahead.
He said: “We’ve been preparing well. It’s nice that the games are rolling in one after the other which is nice, it allows us to build momentum.
“So it should be good. We don’t have any injuries or suspensions apart from Japie.
“I don’t think we’ve played an easy game in the PSL as yet and I don’t really expect to have an easy game before the end of the season. So we’ll be expecting Santos coming here looking for all the points, but we’ll be ready.”
The Cape Town side come into the game on the back of a good win against Maritzburg United last Friday and chief operation officer Edries Burton is hoping to build on that result.
“Things have gone according to plan this week,” he said. “We’ve just come of a nice home victory against Maritzburg and now we’ll be looking to build onto that positive performance.
“Having watched them in pre-season and the early parts of the season, we know that they a very competitive team and especially in their own back yard. So it’s not going to be easy.
“They’ve got some quality players, especially Bernard Parker that we’ll need to have some special attention for.”
Captain Musa Otieno will be available for selection after overcoming an injury, while Tyren Arendse is available again after serving his suspension.