CAPE TOWN - Cape Town City are gearing up for what, on the surface, looks like a fixture programme from hell: they host Kaizer Chiefs in a PSL match at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (3pm kickoff); then, there’s an away game against Orlando Pirates; and, after that, it’s the MTN8 final against SuperSport United on September 29.
The attitude in the City camp, no doubt, will be: bring it on - because this is the type of test footballers enjoy. As the Citizens prepare for a tough yet very exciting three-week period of action, it’s important to understand that footballers love a challenge - and, for City, it doesn’t get any bigger than the next three games: Chiefs and Pirates in the league, and then SuperSport in the Cup final. They’ll be super-keen to surmount this challenge.
City coach Benni McCarthy and his staff will have had a week-and-a-half to work with new signing Tokelo Rantie. The 28-year-old Bafana Bafana striker is yet another high-profile capture by a club which is rapidly gaining a solid reputation among top players.
Rantie, after spells in Sweden, England and Turkey, had become a bit disillusioned of late and had been out of the sport for a while. Coaxed back by McCarthy, who played with Rantie at Pirates in 2011, the striker is seen as the answer to City’s scoring woes.
But, as McCarthy readily admits, it won’t happen overnight. Rantie is still far from match-ready. So, as the Capetonians head into a difficult three weeks, the question is: how much work has McCarthy managed to get into Rantie? How much fitness has he squeezed into his new star? And, more importantly, how much of a role can Rantie play against Chiefs on Saturday?
PSL fixtures:
Saturday:
Chippa United v Baroka FC; Cape Town City v Kaizer Chiefs (Cape Town Stadium, 3pm); Maritzburg United v Bidvest Wits; Polokwane City v Free State Stars; Orlando Pirates v SuperSport United. Sunday:
Black Leopards v Bloemfontein Celtic; AmaZulu v Mamelodi Sundowns; Highlands Park v Golden Arrows
The @OfficialPSL will announce the venue of the @MTN8 final this evening at 8:30pm.
Get your bus playlists ready Citizens, we’re going to another final! 🚎 #iamCityFC #FansAreTheTeam pic.twitter.com/Dt1OcIJpNp
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) September 10, 2018