Rollers raring to go

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday February 27, 2015 17:02

 

Rollers went down 2-1 in the first leg two weeks ago in Johannesburg, South Africa.  “We have covered a lot of ground in preparation for this encounter. We now know what we are facing, unlike in the first leg.

“We know what this game means to the nation as well as Rollers supporters,” Ndlovu told journalists yesterday.

Rollers need to win by a solitary goal to progress to the next stage of the competition and Ndlovu is confident his charges are capable of doing that.  He said his team is now ready to sustain any pressure that Chiefs can bring and unleash attack whenever it is necessary.  Ndlovu further said he is aware that Chiefs, having conceded an away goal in the first leg, are likely to approach the game looking for an early goal.  “In the first leg, we started nervously but we grew in confidence as the game progressed. We picked up a lot of things in that game,” he said.

Rollers will go into the match with a full strength squad except for new players, Dirang Moloi, Jerome Ramatlhakwana, Tshepo Motlhabankwe and Noah Maposa, who have not been registered for the games.

“The only problem we are facing is who is going to start. Everybody is fighting for a position. We have two more sessions before we select the 18-men team for the Saturday game,” Ndlovu added.  For his part, Rollers captain, Sekhana Koko was also confident they can get something out of this game.

“We have to get the results. At least now we know what to expect from Chiefs unlike in the first leg when we knew them from a distance,” he said.  He said players are highly motivated ahead of the game.  Rollers will hope the 2-1 victory over BDF XI in the Mascom Top 8 semi final is the start of their return to form and a morale booster ahead of the clash.

Rollers had lost four games consecutively before their game against BDF XI.  In the first leg against Chiefs, Rollers conceded a goal as early as the sixth minute and went on to concede in the dying minutes of the game when the game looked like it was heading for a draw.  Ndlovu is aware that they conceded a goal at a time when concentration should have been high, but expressed confidence that it will not happen again tomorrow.  He said they managed to watch a repeat of the game and looked at moments when their game was down as well as when they were playing well and have rectified their mistakes.

 In the absence of Moloi, Maano Ditshupo is expected to return to the starting line up. Segolame Boy, who played as a winger against BDF XI last Sunday, is expected to move into the centre and play behind target man Jerome Louis.  Kaizer Chiefs on the other hand have been boosted by the return of left back, Tshepo Masilela.

Masilela was injured in the first leg and was forced to play with a knock in the last few minutes. Goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune is also back after being substituted because of injury last Saturday during the Nedbank Cup match against Edu Sport. Chiefs are expected to arrive today.