Amakhosi United in Red Challenge
Amakhosi United in Red Challenge

Posted in News on Jul 18, 2006.

It was a quick trip to the University of Stellenbosch training ground on Tuesday Morning as The Amakhosi were taken through light training session, which primarily consisted of them doing a number of stretching exercises and the goalkeepers been taken through their paces by Goalkeeper coach Rainer Dinkelacker.



In all it looked like the goalkeepers had the most strenuous session as the rest of the team leisurely strolled around the field and after their slow jog stroked the ball around, which resembled a Sunday Morning kick about. After training the team headed back to their Stellenbosch hotel to rest ahead of this evenings match at Newlands Rugby Stadium against Manchester United, in front of what is going to be a sold out crowd at the rugby stadium.



After watching United fend off Orlando Pirates by four goals to nil over the weekend Chiefs more senior players the likes of Fabian McCarthy, Rowen Fernandez and the all weather Thabo Mooki are not phased by the challenge poised by the 15 times in English League Champions.



Chiefs Mr. Reliable Rowen Fernandez who was the star performer when The Amakhosi hoisted aloft the ABSA Cup Crown in May is only happy to pit himself against the likes of Manchester United’s baby faced assassin who put Pirates to the sword Ole Gunnar Solksjaer saying.



Fernandez added “I have always thought of myself as having the abilities to play against the best strikers in the world and in my time with the junior national teams I played against some of these guys and also in the African Champions League. I do feel that I have the credentials to be able to do a good job against United on Tuesday”.



Rowen is also confident that his team have the experience not to be overawed by the occasion saying “I think that because of the fact that we have players that have played in African Nations Cups and World Cup’s we will treat this as any other game, and go out and play our normal game as give 100%”.



Also looking forward to fighting against the like of Manchester United’s future stars Giuseppe Rossi and the soon to be loaned out Ben Foster who kept Pirates at Bay, as Mooki commented “at my age you don’t fear an opponent, you do admire their great qualities but the real enjoyment is in being able to come on top and I am confident we can do that from this game”.



The veteran of the 1998 African Nations Cup is aware that beating United will be a big ask “we can’t hide from the fact that United are going to give us a run, we are ready to work hard knowing that if we do give it our best shot the result can only favour us”.



Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp is equally optimistic that his charges can achieve a positive result against the Champions League qualifiers adding “over the past number of weeks we have been focused on this game and we have done as much preparation as we possibly could have, we have checked out United and know what there strengths and weaknesses are”.



The Amakhosi coach is confident in his teams abilities to be able to make United work hard for ninety minutes “as a team we have been improving over the past couple months, I am really happy with the make up of the team, if I pull out one guy I am able to bring in some one of equal or possessing better abilities that is really pleasing for a coach."



Chiefs kick off their Vodacom Challenge Campaign Tuesday evening while Manchester United will be in action for the second time in four days when they meet The Amakhosi in Newlands, for what many pundits are hoping will be a closer affair than United’s 4-0 victory over Pirates on Saturday.

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