JOHANNESBURG - Caps Uniteds opponents in this weekends Confederations Cup tie, Moroka Swallows, are a very formidable side.Zimbabwes self-proclaimed Cup Kings need to put up one of their best shows in years to prevail in this two-legged second round fixture, beginning with Sundays tie in Harare.
Even though the Dube Birds finished eighth on the log in the just-ended ABSA Premiership campaign, their record during the past five weeks speaks volumes of a club deserving the team of the month award they won in their domestic league for February-March.
Swallows final league position is attributable more to poor form at the beginning of the season than at the end of it. They had gone 11 matches unbeaten in all competitions when they finally lost away to Ajax Cape Town in the Telkom Knockout competition at the weekend.
The last time they had tasted defeat before last Sunday was when they lost 4-0 to Amazulu on December 16 last year. After that, they drew four matches and chalked up five successive wins between February 24 and March 6. They have scored eight goals against two in their last six games.
To cap a good showing in the league in February, the Birdss German-born coach, Rainer Zobel and chief striker, Siyabonga Nomvethe, were on Monday given the Coach and player of the month awards, respectively.
In the Confederations Cup first round, where United huffed and puffed to a 8-7 win on penalties over Mbabane Highlanders, Swallows cruised past Mauritius Pamplemousse SC with a 5-1 aggregate score line.
With the resurgence instituted by Zobel now seemingly paying dividends, the South Africans have put up several flawless displays, especially in their home ground, meaning that Caps United should fight for nothing short of a two-goal cushion this weekend, which will widen their chances of winning in Johannesburg in a fortnight, or they will soon find themselves out of the competition.
With not so many big-name players in their side, Swallows rely mostly on teamwork, but do have a handful of stars in each department in their line-up, whose movements Makepekepe should monitor.
During an interview with The Zimbabwean , Zobel reported an almost clean bill of health for his team, who fly to Harare Saturday morning.
We will be better that we were in the Ajax game, as three of our key players will return for the Harare game. Defender Vincent Kobola and Nomvethe will be available, after missing out due to injury at the weekend, said Zobel.
Here are some of those players;
Defence
Greg Etafia: The Nigerian goalkeeper is one of the best in the ABSA Premiership and it is no fluke that the defence is Swallows strongest department at the moment. He is very difficult to beat, knows how to organise his defence and has excellent ball distribution techniques. It is no surprise that Etafia has also represented his national team in some high profile competitions like the African Nations and World Cup qualifiers. This is by far their best department at the moment.
Vincent Kobola: Tough and tight, the Zambian hardly ever puts a foot wrong. Can identify an opposition danger man and mark him completely out of the game. Once assigned to man-mark a striker, he sticks to him like a leech and can even follow a striker to drink water. He is also a regular in the Zambian national team.
Sibusiso Khumalo: An overlapping left back who captained the countrys national Under 20 World Cup in Egypt . Good in defence and very dangerous on the overlap, he scored some cheeky goals during the just-ended season.
Midfield
Lefa Tsutsulupa; Swallowspint-sized, but inspirational captain can single-handedly destroy any opposition. A box-to-box midfielder in the mould of Zimbabwe international Clement Matawu, although he is better than the former Motor Action man defensively. Can also crack a powerful shot from range and is a dribbling wizard.
David Radebe: A speed merchant who can crack them on the run.
Strikeforce:
Siyabonga Nomvethe: The experienced former crack striker for the South African national team is not new to Zimbabwean soccer circles. He was part of the Bafana Bafana squad that broke the hearts of Zimbabweans in a World Cup qualifier in July 2000 and created one of Delron Buckleys two goals for Bafana Bafana in that abandoned match, which resulted in the death of 15 soccer fans in a stampede, after police had fired teargas on the stands.
Has re-discovered the old form that saw him play for Udinese in Italy s Serie A. Scored a brace in their 2-1 away win to Pamplemouse and has played in the FIFA World Cup. Scored when the South African Under 23s beat a Ronaldinho-powered Brazil Under 23s 3-0 in the 2000 Olympic games in Australia.
Collins Mbesuma: Barely striker who can shield the ball and packs a powerful shot with either foot. Very difficult to mark for many defenders, but an intelligent defender like Method Mwanjali can mark him totally out of the game
Post published in: Football