‘The pressure is not on us’ – Stellenbosch FC’s Barker turns heat up on Kaizer Chiefs
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Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker believes his side are not under pressure ahead of their encounter with Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday.
Stellies have been in good form since the current Premier Soccer League season resumed, having recorded successive wins over Lamontville Golden Arrows and Cape Town City.
The two important victories have virtually guaranteed the PSL debutants another season in the South African top flight.
They are currently placed ninth on the league standings and only trailing seventh-placed Cape Town City on goal-difference with four matches left.
Barker discussed his side’s chances of finishing in the top eight and qualify for next season’s MTN8 ahead of Sunday’s meeting with a wounded Chiefs side who were defeated 3-1 by Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday.
“It is a big battle, there are a number of teams in contention,” Barker told The Citizen. “We have difficult encounters starting with Chiefs.
“It will not be easy, they have ambitions for the league and we have our ambitions. This [the win over City] has given us a good foundation to go out on Sunday.”
The former AmaZulu FC head coach is hoping to mastermind a win over Chiefs in order to put pressure on the teams who are above them in the league standings.
“The pressure is not on us, we can just give a good account of ourselves and try and put pressure on the teams above us,” he concluded.
Chiefs will be desperate to get their PSL title pursuit back on track when they take on an in-form Stellenbosch side at the Mecca of South African football, Orlando Stadium.
Amakhosi are six points above second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand and are set to face Maritzburg United on Friday evening.
The first round encounter between Chiefs and Stellenbosch FC ended in a 4-0 win in favour of Amakhosi in November 2019.
Goals from Samir Nurkovic (brace), Siyabonga Ngezana and Dumisani Zuma handed Chiefs an emphatic victory in an encounter which was played at Cape Town Stadium.