SCOTTLAND FC head coach Norman Mapeza has played down the championship significance of his side’s blockbuster clash against Castle Lager Premier Soccer League log leaders CAPS United, insisting the high-stakes encounter is not a title decider.
The highly-anticipated fixture tomorrow coincides with the grand reopening of the iconic National Sports Stadium, which has been closed for renovations for the past couple of seasons.
Defending champions Scottland have done well to keep pace with the leading pack this season.
They currently sit fourth on the log with 25 points, just three behind trailblazers CAPS United. While a victory tomorrow is crucial to closing the gap at the top, Mapeza is refusing to get ahead of himself, pointing out that there is still a massive chunk of the season left to play.
“If we’re going to talk about the title decider now, when you still have about 20-something games to go, then I think we start to lose focus,’ Mapeza told reporters.
“How many games have we played? 14 now, aren’t we? So it means we still have about 20 games to go. So it’s just one of those games. For us, it’s about collecting maximum points. If we win games, if we keep collecting maximum points, I think definitely come the end of the day, there will be a shift on the position on the log.”
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He added: “If we win, maybe we might go up. If we don’t win, we might remain in the same position or maybe we might even drop down further. So what is important is for us to go there and try to get a positive result to push up on the log. But as for the title, we still have so many difficult games to come. Like I said, 20 games to go. It’s a long marathon.”
Both teams head into the giant venue on the back of indifferent form. Makepekepe have struggled for consistency of late, managing just one win, three draws, and a defeat in their last five outings. Scottland’s recent form has only been marginally better, recording two wins, two draws, and a solitary loss in the same period.
CAPS United will also have to navigate the big match without their head coach Takesure Chiragwi, who is currently away on national duty with the Warriors at the Unity Cup in London, which concludes today.
Despite the coaching absence and mixed recent results, the fixture promises to be a thrilling, high-profile affair.
Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture minister Anselem Sanyatwe is expected to grace the occasion, while Kaizer Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung is already in the country and will be amongst the VIPs watching the reopening of the stadium.
Mapeza expressed his delight with the refurbished surface after his team got a feel of the pitch ahead of the match, though he noted a minor detail they hope will be sorted by kick-off.
“We were there to feel the pitch. The pitch looks fantastic, the turf looking good,” Mapeza said.
“And we spoke to the guys who are looking after the pitch. They said maybe they will cut the grass a little bit because it was a little bit high. Tomorrow we will just go and check again. I don’t think we will have a training session, but just to check and see how the pitch is, and then we will wait for the big game on Sunday.”
The former Warriors captain also gave his squad a clean bill of health, barring any late setbacks before their final session.
“We don’t have any injuries in our team at the moment. But tomorrow (today) is going to be our last day of training. We never know what might happen from now until the time we meet the boys for our final training session. But in terms of injuries, we don’t have any at the moment,” he concluded.