AmaZulu will host Soweto heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs in the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final on Sunday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Wednesday night, Usuthu failed to win for the seventh time in a row when they surrendered a 1-0 lead to struggling Maritzburg United. The KwaZulu-Natal club have drawn four matches and lost three, with one of the draws coming against Amakhosi in the MTN8’s first leg.
AmaZulu, currently coached by Romain Folz, have a chance to reach their second-ever Premier Soccer League final, and club captain Makhehleni Makhaula has warned his players not to act like deer caught in headlights against Chiefs.
Makhaula told the reporters on Thursday, “There is no longer a place for anyone to hide; the upcoming match requires us to be men.”
“We’re facing Chiefs, and they have a lot of fans in Durban, so if we have stage fright it’s going to be a huge problem for us, so we need real men who are going to battle and create opportunities so we can score, since they’re not playing great right now either.”
Makhaula also praised their new coach’s attempts to instill his ideology and playing style only two weeks into his new position.
“Based on the game against Orlando Pirates and yesterday’s play, there are numerous positives. We are a ball-playing squad, so we do create opportunities, as we did against the Pirates but were unlucky not to score,” Makhaula explained.
Usuthu have been their own worst enemy on many occasions this season, as a streak of ill-discipline has contributed to them dropping points, as was the case in their last match against Maritzburg.
The strong midfielder Makhaula sat out their most recent encounter because he was one caution away from punishment. He has acknowledged his team’s lack of discipline, although he believes that the manner in which they accrue these infractions is negligent but correctable.
“I always try to urge the boys to keep their emotions in check, as the majority of our yellow cards result from altercations with the referee. Therefore, it is crucial that we regulate our emotions prior to a game of this magnitude, as Makhaula stated.
@ScribeSmiso