Staff Reporter.
Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler admits he has a selection headache ahead of Wednesday’s DStv Premiership clash with runaway league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who could secure the title with a point at Loftus Stadium.
City have been in excellent form since the start of the year and are challenging for second place and Caf Champions League football next season.
A win would be a major boost to those prospects, but Tinkler knows it will not be easy against a team they have drawn with twice this season – a 0-0 stalemate in the league and before that a 1-1 draw in the MTN8 final that Sundowns ultimately won on penalties.
“It’s a tough game because they are an exceptional team with the brand of football they play. [Striker Peter] Shalulile is on fire at the moment, scoring a lot of goals,” Tinkler said.
“They’re a team that’s obviously difficult to break down, with a very, very good defensive record. We’re going to have to be at our very best if we want to go there and compete and collect maximum points.
“But we do that with a lot of confidence and self-belief in ourselves. So far against them, we’ve actually had a pretty good record, and we have produced good games, both in the league and obviously in the MTN8.
“This time we hope that we can come out on the winning end, obviously losing in the MTN8 final, the way we did against them on penalties, was tough.
“I think they have a lot of respect for us, we have a lot of respect for them. And hopefully, we can produce a good football match against them and look to try and collect maximum points. I think that would be a fantastic achievement.”
City are unbeaten in eight leagues games in 2022 [W5 D3] and Tinkler knows they need to keep that run going if they are to challenge for second.
“We’d like to try and keep our unbeaten record so far in the league in the second half of the season. The boys are all highly motivated. Everybody’s available. And everybody’s fighting for that starting XI place.
“I’m still scratching my head. Who am I playing and who am I not playing?
Everybody’s really raising their hand, which is exactly what we want to see from the squad.”