Durban City prepare for spicy affair against the Chilli Boys

Fresh off a victory in their PSL debut last week, Durban City will now look ahead to their next Betway Premiership assignment against Chippa United at the Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday night.

Kick-off is at 7:30 pm (CAT, GMT+2)

CURRENT FORM

Durban City were among the standout performers during matchday one in the Betway Premiership, as the KwaZulu-Natal side recorded an efficient 2-0 win against the Rockets at the Mbombela Stadium last week.

The Chilli Boys, on the other hand, hosted reigning league champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium this past Saturday and bagged a point in a 1-1 draw with the Brazilians on home soil.

WHAT WAS SAID

Speaking after Durban City’s memorable win against TS Galaxy, coach Gavin Hunt swiftly turned his attention to Wednesday evening’s fixture.

“It was not easy. We started well and were on the front foot a couple of times,” Hunt said.

"They had a good 10-minute spell before halftime, but as an away team, we played really well. We had chances and didn’t take them, then we scored just after halftime, and they tried to come back, but we got the second goal.

“We’ve got to move on now. We have a game on Wednesday, so there’s not much time.”

Following the Chilli Boys' draw with Sundowns, coach Sinethemba Badela revealed that his side needed to make astute adjustments to cope with the Brazilians fluidity in attack.

“I thought the team played very well and I don’t like to single out individuals, but I think everyone stuck to the game plan,” Badela said.

“We struggled a little bit in the first half with the overload with Fawaaz Basadien sometimes coming inside and going outside with Marcelo Allende and Arthur Sales making it a three versus two on the side.

“We struggled a little bit because we were not really prepared for that. We prepared for an overload with a very aggressive Zuko Mdunyelwa on the right.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Durban City: Samkelo Maseko – As one of the star turners in Durban City’s opening league game, Maseko will once again hope to get his name on the scoresheet against Chippa United.

Chippa United: Sammy Seabi – With bags of experience under his belt, Seabi’s leadership will be crucial against a well-organised Durban City outfit. Along with his football mileage, Seabi’s ability to break up play in the middle of the park will be crucial in transitional periods throughout the 90 minutes.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This will be the first league meeting of Durban City and Chippa United.