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| Nasief Morris and Sibusiso Nhlapho @ Backpagepix |
Two teams in Chippa United and Santos stand on the edge of top flight acceptance as one will plunge into the lower leagues of South African football, and in front of the other stands the possibility of PSL glory awaits.
The Cape derby will take place at the Philippi Stadium on Saturday afternoon, .
The promotion/relegation mini-league will go down to the wire where the final match between Chippa United and Santos will decide two very different fates.
The winner will be propelled to the bright lights of the PSL while the loser will be condemned to battle it out in the unforgiving terrain of the NFD.
At present, Chippa are in the driving seat as they top the mini-league with five points while Santos are a point behind them. A draw or a win for Chippa will see them promoted while only a win will see the People’s team remain in the PSL.
And there is not much for either side to draw on going into this game considering they played to a goalless draw in their first play-off encounter.
Santos’ Wayne Arendse, though, knows Chippa pose a serious threat and they will not be taking them lightly as their PSL lives lie on the line.
“We saw on Wednesday what Chippa can do when they beat Thanda, so we know we have a tough match ahead.
“They’ll be out to give it their all on Saturday, but so will we. For Santos this is do-or-die and for the players it’s our biggest game ever for the club.
“We have to win this game, that’s the bottom line. We know what’s at stake – jobs are on the line,” said the Santos man.
Chippa certainly showed their deadly ability in front of goal in midweek when they thrashed Thanda Royal Zulu 3-0 in an imposing display. And their captain Gift Sithole is confident his team will produce the same impressive performance.
Sithole also went on to add his side want to make history and a victory would guarantee that.
“We want to make history on Saturday, by making it straight from the Vodacom league to the PSL, and we want to become the first club from a black township to play in the top league.
“A draw is enough for us, but there is no way we are going for just one point, that would be dangerous. In football anything can happen, so we need to go out and play with the mentality that we need to win this game,” concluded the Chippa captain.
ick-off at 15h00
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