Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler has warned his players to not underestimate Stellenbosch FC despite their poor run ahead of Cape Derby.
It’s been six months and six days since the last Cape Derby took place at DHL Stadium, where City and Stellies drew 1-1.
Friday’s hosts at Danie Craven Stadium have dropped down the table after going nine games without a win and are now in serious danger, sitting second from the bottom on the log.
City, meanwhile, picked up seven points from their last three games and 10 since the return of the league to climb up the table into seventh on the log.
But this is a fixture they are not too familiar of winning, having collected three points in just one of their last five meetings – all the more reason for Tinkler to warn his players of Steve Barker’s men.
“Obviously Stellenbosch is going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment struggling to get positive results,” Tinkler said ahead of the game.
“I don’t think that means anything because it’s the derby and obviously, I think they’ll come out fighting.
“We’ve seen it because we play with them a lot, especially friendly matches, and they know us quite well. So we definitely cannot underestimate them.
“We’re going to have to ensure that we go there and play with a lot of positivity, a lot of aggression, winning our duels, [we] cannot allow them to bully us and then we need to look to play our football. Ultimately [it’s] important to worry about ourselves. That’s key.
“Our last three results were very positive, now we need to build on that. So I think the confidence, the morale within the squad is a lot higher right now.
“But as I said before, do not underestimate the Stellenbosch team, especially when it comes to the Cape Darby.
“I believe there’s going to be a lot of people there and I think that’s great. Hopefully it creates a great atmosphere. And obviously hopefully the players can step up and produce some quality football for the fans to enjoy.”
