Johannesburg - Royal AM captain Samuel Manganyi expects their next opponents Kaizer Chiefs to be a major threat given previous encounters between the two teams.
The two sides have been riddled with inconsistency this season.
Thwihli Thwahla are in 11th position on the Premiership standings, just three points off sixth-placed Amakhosi.
With just a few points separating the two teams at this stage of the season, Manganyi believes that Chiefs’ poor record against them will spur the Soweto club on and make them a menacing proposition.
“It’s going to be a very difficult game against Kaizer Chiefs, they’re currently not in good form and they’ve never won against us, so they’re going to try and change that. They’re a team that runs a lot, so I think they will try everything to beat us,” said Manganyi.
The league standings this season are unusually tight as a run of three consecutive victories could lift a team from the relegation zone to top-eight contention, as shown by Maritzburg United recently.
The closing of the gap in quality between so-called “big teams” and newly-established ones like Royal AM is clear for all to see, and continues to influence the unpredictable nature of the season’s proceedings.
Veteran winger Elias Pelembe echoed the sentiments of his skipper in terms of the difficulty of their match against Chiefs, but also highlighted the desperation factor for points that weighs heavy on the shoulders of both teams.
“I think every game has been huge in the second round because all the teams have been looking for points so we need to prepare well for this big game, and the team that makes fewer mistakes and takes their chances will most likely win the match,” said Pelembe.
Chiefs will begin the first of three home games in Polokwane with the fixture against Royal AM.
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However, both Manganyi and Pelembe believe the harsh conditions in the Limpopo province are not going to play much of a factor, considering the extreme weather conditions they train in at their Pietermaritzburg base.
“I don’t think it’s going to be much of a challenge for us because the weather conditions where we’re based are quite similar to that of Polokwane. So I definitely don’t expect it to be a factor for us,” Manganyi said.
Pelembe said: "It (the weather) is going to affect everyone in that case, we know it’s hot, but life is like that sometimes and we’ve also been playing in Africa.
“It was hot in Congo and it’s been hot in South Africa as well, so we need to be able to deal with it.”
IOL Sport