DURBAN, December 13 (Absa Premier League) – Thanda Royal Zulu assistant Johan Eriksson has predicted a “tough match” against Free State Stars on Sunday despite Ea Lla Koto being in a lowly 14th place on the Absa Premier League table.
The Amabhubesi claimed a much-needed win against Platinum Stars in their last game and now sit 12th on the log with renewed hope of improving their position before the mid-season break.
Roger Palmgren’s team still have three games to play this year and will follow this weekend’s clash with matches against Moroka Swallows and Maritzburg United in the next eight days.
Speaking ahead of the clash at the Mpumalanga Stadium, Eriksson reflected on the their latest win, adding that it was pleasing to watch a result finally go our boys’ way.
He said: “There’s a very, very fine line between winning and losing a football match. I think you have to look at the overall performance regardless of the result and this has been quite steady.
“We’ve conceded last minute goals against Supersport and against Wits, so maybe we deserve something else.
This is going to be a tough match. I don’t think Free State Stars enjoy the position that they’re at. I’m not quite sure that they deserve to be down there, because obviously they’ve been troubling most teams
“And most times these games are the toughest, so we need to be prepared.”
Casting his eye back over the opening 11 games of the season, coach Palmgren pointed to injuries as being the single most frustrating thing for the team.
He added: “We have continued to prepare well after the win last week. As I said all along, we have been playing well, but it’s just a matter of getting the results.
“We started out well this season, but there have been too many injuries recently. But I hope this period is over for now.”
FS Stars coach Steve Khompela said that his players were working on cutting out errors in their play ahead of the clash in Hammarsdale.
“There are some few aspects we have been working on tirelessly at training this week. In the last few games we have played, we committed some elementary errors, which is a cause for concern.
“Thanda started the season very promising, but they have also found the going gets tough in the last few of their matches, and we are very wary of their situation.
“We will be going there not on a vacation, but to collect maximum points,” added Khompela, who along with Palmgren, will have a full squad to choose from.