TEAM OF CHOICE DETERMINED FACE BIG PIRATES CHALLENGE
1 September 2020
There are just two games left in this extended 2019/ 20 season - starting with Wednesday evening's Absa Premiership showdown with Orlando Pirates at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
The game kicks off at 18H00. United's final match of the season is against Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday afternoon.
The Team of Choice head into the match against Pirates on the back of three consecutive draws - versus Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits and most recently, Highlands Park.
"The performance against Highlands Park was not bad," Maritzburg's head coach, Eric Tinkler, commented.
“I thought we performed very well for large periods of the game. They are a difficult team to play because of the brand of football they play - long balls, set pieces. They can be extremely difficult but I thought we dealt with that very well," he continued.
"We deserved the lead and should have gone two or three up to make the game comfortable. But we ended up soaking up a lot of pressure and conceding a late goal. So a lot of disappointment on my side having only collected one point, I felt we should have taken all three from that game."
Although victory eluded United, there was certainly one big positive to take from the game in that the club's top eight status is now secure.
The coach is now expecting his men to energize themselves for Wednesday's outing and to give the Buccaneers - a team he previously worked at, a tough evening.
"We've now cemented our position in the top eight which is a fantastic achievement by the boys; I'm very proud of the team. But obviously we would like to finish strong," coach Eric said.
"Everybody is raring to go, its Orlando Pirates and I know the boys will be up for the challenge - hopefully we can go cause an upset.”
In team news, Maritzburg will be without the injured Mxolisi Kunene and Dan Morgan, while Judas Moseamedi is suspended.
The Team of Choice also have a bit of a score to settle with the Bucs - they haven't beaten the Soweto side since December 2016. Since then there have been three draws and three defeats.
* Maritzburg United's official social media platforms will provide further news updates, as well as live coverage on match days - please click on links below for more info:
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