Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler is honger to get back to winning ways against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday, but is skeptical about the condition of Athlone Stadium’s pitch.
City will be back in action after a three-week break desperate to snap a five-match winless run in all competitions.
Tinkler’s manne are fifth in the PSL and 15 points off leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, and three points above Chiefs in seventh.
They have scalped the Soweto giants already this season a 1-0 victory in October.
And speaking to the media yesterday, Tinkler says: “Our start to the second half of the season hasn’t been great, but it’s a game against Chiefs and our players should be highly motivated.
“You can have two, three draws and lose a game and then suddenly they say, ‘hey you haven’t won in four games’.
“So it’s important for us to get back to winning ways.”
Meanwhile, the Capetonians have received a boost with the return of attacker Darwin Gonzalez from a knee injury.
The countdown for the eagerly awaited return of the #DStvPrem is underway! 🤩
— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) March 26, 2024
Let's delve into the stats for the upcoming clash between @CapeTownCityFC and @KaizerChiefs.
What are your predictions for this one? pic.twitter.com/21bbygVZCR
He adds: “Darwin is back and training fully for two weeks. He’s looking good and gives us another option we didn’t have before.”
But the City boss has raised concerns about playing at Athlone, with Cape Town Stadium unavailable due to the Stormers’s URC encounter versus Ulster.
Tinkler says: “We would’ve preferred to have stayed at Cape Town Stadium. Hopefully the [Athlone] pitch will be in good condition, the last time I checked it wasn’t in a great state.”
Bringing happiness wherever we go 😄
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) March 26, 2024
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devin.hermanus@inl.co.za