Sekhukhune United head coach Cedric Kaze insists his side will not prioritise the MTN8 over their league campaign or vice-versa as they prepare for a demanding run of fixtures against Orlando Pirates.
Babina Noko face the Buccaneers in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final on Saturday before returning to league action on Tuesday, with the second leg of the domestic cup tie scheduled for the following Saturday.
With the congested schedule potentially forcing clubs to make difficult decisions over squad rotation and competition priorities, Kaze admitted the question of choosing between the two competitions was a fair one.
“You know if you ask me between the two, it’s like asking a parent to choose between his daughter and his boy, I love both of them, and we want to compete in both competitions, but as well, it’s a realistic question as well,” Kaze said.
“Sometimes you have targets coming from your side which means that sometimes the depth of squad doesn’t allow you to compete in both competition, which means it’s a fair question but we want to do as much as we can to give ourselves as much as we can in both competitions.”
Sekhukhune will therefore have to manage their squad carefully across three important fixtures in the space of eight days, with the MTN8 semi-final providing an opportunity to progress towards silverware while their league campaign remains equally important.
Kaze, however, believes his team must be prepared to perform regardless of the circumstances surrounding each fixture.
“As a coach I prepare my team to play everywhere, my team has to be able to perform in any situation and in any field that we are being taken on,” he said.
Kaze Keeps Pirates Approach Under Wraps
The immediate challenge for Sekhukhune is a Pirates side that will provide a stern test in the MTN8 semi-final, but Kaze was unwilling to reveal exactly how his team will approach the first leg.
The Sekhukhune coach has studied how other opponents have attempted to deal with the Soweto giants, but suggested his side could take a different tactical route when they meet.
“I wouldn’t give you my approach for Saturday, because probably I would be selling my secrets early on,” Kaze said.
“Let’s just say I have seen how other teams dealt with them, without success or let me just say I want to go a different way [in approaching Pirates].”