Arthur Zwane AMAZULU FC has sensitised his players to the danger of Casric Stars ahead of their Nedbank Cup quarter-final clash.
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AmaZulu FC coach Arthur Zwane has warned that his side cannot underestimate the threat posed by Casric Stars FC ahead of their Nedbank Cup quarter-final clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Usuthu will enjoy home advantage at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, but Zwane believes the National First Division side have already proven they are capable of upsetting top-flight opposition.
Casric Stars arrive with growing confidence after eliminating Orlando Pirates in the previous round, a result that Zwane said highlighted both their belief and their ambition in the competition.
While AmaZulu will have the backing of their supporters, Zwane admitted his side are currently struggling in front of goal, something that adds another layer of pressure ahead of the knockout fixture. Their PSL form of late has been shabby to say the least, which he admitted.
The former Kaizer Chiefs coach also pointed out that Casric Stars’ ability to rotate their squad effectively means they could arrive with fresher legs, something that has become increasingly important during a demanding stretch of fixtures.
“Look, it’s difficult in the sense that you only get glimpses of them,” Zwane explained.
“It’s difficult to get everything because they’ve got a big pool, they’ve been rotating their squad. So as much as we are an open book to them, it's a vice-versa situation where whatever information we have might not be enough for us because this one game we cannot take lightly.”
The victory over Pirates, he said, showed exactly what Casric Stars bring to the tournament. According to Zwane, Casric Stars' fearless approach against one of the country’s strongest sides demonstrated both their confidence and their determination to compete for the trophy.
“They showed against Pirates that they are serious about this competition,” he said. “The way they approached that game tells you they are not here just to participate.”
AmaZulu are also dealing with a physically demanding schedule, with Zwane revealing that several players are experiencing such a congested run of fixtures for the first time in their careers.
“We’re just trying to manage the players and you look at our squad as well, most of our boys have never been tested this way where you play something like six games in 14 days,” he said.
“It has never happened to some, it's their very first time. So now we’re helping them psychologically and mentally to adjust to these kinds of demands at this level.”
Despite the challenges, Zwane insists AmaZulu remain determined to push for silverware.
“But we’ve always said we want to compete, we want to win cups. So we still want to win cups at the end of the day. Here is the opportunity for us and we’re going to have to give it our all.”
Jehran Naidoo is sports reporter with focus on motorsport for Independent Media and editor of the social media channel The Clutch