SUNDOWNS coach Manqoba Mngqithi will very likely know how to prepare for tomorrow’s return clash, but Barker has made it known that he may field his new attacking option, Ashley Cupido, signed recently from Cape Town Spurs.
The Winelands club snapped up Cupido as a replacement for striker Iqraam Rayners. However, Cupido is a vastly different player to Rayners, and Mngqithi will be aware of that threat.
A wily tactician, Barker says he’s thinking of unleashing Cupido against Sundowns and hopes he’ll help the team advance to the final. In the first leg, Sundowns were harassed by the pace of the Stellies players and Cupido is capable of ramping up that pace a knot or two. That could cause bigger problems and change the way Sundowns approach tomorrow’s match.
“It was key for us to try and find a replacement for Rayners and we felt Ashley fitted the bill. He is the type of player we believe will fit into our system really well,” said Barker.
“He has also shown he can score goals. He has had a good return of goals for a team that was struggling at the bottom of the log
“I believe he’s a goal-scorer who has presence and pace. He has shown he has power and knows how to score.
“I think he will add depth and quality to our team. In the first leg, it was tough to play Bradley (Lehlohonolo Mojela) throughout the match. We didn’t really have any other options on the substitutes bench, but I’m trusting Cupido will be available for the second leg.”
Mngqithi knows what is in store for them and has worked out why his side was defeated.
“I think we started a bit slow, and Stellenbosch’s press was very aggressive, especially in the early stages,” said Mngqithi.
“I think our full-backs were not that much involved in the build-ups because they were too high sometimes.
“I think in the second half we tremendously improved that. We started coming out a lot from our build-ups, and the speed of play was much better because I think that was my other big concern at half-time.
“We created opportunities that could have easily given us the game, but unfortunately, we committed very silly errors.
“If you look where the penalty comes from, we had a free kick, and I think we were five around the ball.
“We tried what I think was a very unproductive combination play because there was no clarity on what we were trying to do.”
After their 1-0 win, Stellenbosch took a step closer to their second-ever final appearance, having won the Carling Knockout last season.