Kickoff (Cape Town)
28 November 2008
Ajax Cape Town's winning momentum will favour them to emerge victorious against Free State Stars in Sunday's Telkom Knockout Cup semifinal clash in East London.
While East London's Absa Stadium is a neutral venue for the game, it could be Ajax who feel more comfortable as only last weekend they beat Bay United 3-1 at the very same stadium.
Ajax skipper Brett Evans was recently on record as saying that his team enjoyed both the excellent playing surface and the close proximity of the fans to the field during their win over Umlilo.
And current form certainly suggests that the Urban Warriors will be overwhelming favourites to book their place in the final alongside either Bloemfontein Celtic or Orlando Pirates.
Five wins in six games, including a 2-1 win over Ea Lla Koto, make the team from Cape Town, currently in second spot on the Absa Premiership table, one of the form teams of the moment in the PSL.
They are firing on all cylinders at the moment, with goals coming in from all angles - Brett Evans, Erduardo Ferreira, Mabhudi Khenyeza have all been hitting the back of the net on a regular basis this season, while centre back Clayton Daniels chipped in with two goals against Wits in a midweek win.
With the current form they are in, and with a near fully fit squad available to coach Craig Rosslee (Granwald Scott is the only long-term injury victim, while Mfundo Shumana and Clifford Ngobeni will undergo late fitness tests), Ajax's biggest potential threat is complacency.
Ajax spokesman Shooz Mekuto agrees with this sentiment: "Sometimes players can already have their minds of the cup final and are thinking about bonuses. This is my biggest worry, but I know that the coach would have spoken to the team about this."
Mekuto also believes that Ea Lla Koto can be a dangerous side on their day.
"Stars can raise their game on the day - they have shown this to reach the semifinal. They are a club with a short history like us and Sunday's game will be massive for them."
The Free State side certainly cannot afford to be taken lightly - the quality of their team belies the fact that the team are lying near the foot of the Absa Premiership table in 14th spot.
They have a potentially potent strike force, including Diyo Sibisi, Sthembiso Ncgobo, Paulus Masehe and Jimmy Kauleza, who can all score goals if they are provided with the right opportunities.
Midfield anchor man Prince Olomu, as well as left winger Motseothata November, are players that do not grab the headlines much, but their contribution to the team cannot be undermined.
Former Ajax player, Duncan Lechesa, is now the Stars' skipper and his experienced presence in the middle of the park provides a settling influence to those around him.
Lechesa accepts that Ajax are firm favourites, but says that this suits Stars just fine.
"We know we are the underdogs, but it's okay with us. Ajax will feel more pressure to win the game and this could work to our advantage.
"The team has been transformed since coach Steve Komphela took over and we are not the same side that started the league so badly," was Lechesa's warning ahead of Sunday afternoon's clash.
Komphela, like his Ajax counterpart Rosslee, has a fully fit squad at his disposal for the game.
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