AmaZulu head coach Pablo Franco Martin has opted to remain coy on whether he is considering fielding down-on-confidence goalkeeper Veli Mothwa ahead of their match against Kaizer Chiefs.
The two teams will battle it out at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban tonight (7.30pm kick-off).
Usuthu opened their 2024/2025 Premiership season with a disappointing loss to Polokwane City over a week ago, and are expected to bounce back against the Amakhosi.
On the other hand, the Glamour Boys are in a buoyant mood after their exciting win over Marumo Gallants, and are keen to impress again in front of a Durban crowd that have loved them for decades.
"It's going to be a long week for us trying to adjust some of the things that we didn't get right from the previous game, but everything looks positive. It is just minor details that we need to correct going into the next game" — Ben Motshwari 💬
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While there will be key battles all over the pitch, Usuthu are still surmising the potential of dropping club captain Mothwa.
The 33-year-old No 1 has had a torrid last three weeks, having made two horrid blunders at both the national team and at club level.
Usually a reliant shot-stopper, Mothwa has hit what many might describe as a slump, and while some ponder on when he might rediscover his form, AmaZulu have games to win.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos elected to ‘protect’ Mothwa by replacing him with Sipho Chaine at national level, but Martin seems to be either struggling or holding his cards close to his chest about whether or not he features against Chiefs tonight.
“You will see on Wednesday,” was Martin’s response to questions about his goalkeeper’s inclusion, while Ben Motshwari detailed how he and the rest of his teammates have stood by Mothwa’s side.
“He’s one of our own. He’s our brother and a very good friend of mine, and it never easy for such things to happen to any player. But for us, it’s to support him and be there for him,” Motshwari said.
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“On a different day, it might happen to me or another teammate, so for us, it’s just to block out what’s happening around him and on social media, so we can focus on this big game coming up.”
A game of this nature might be the right one to tap into what has become ‘Big Match Veli’ in recent seasons, and more especially against Chiefs.
One of Mothwa’s best-ever games in the top-flight came against the Amakhosi in the MTN8 semi-final first leg two years ago, where he scooped the Player-of-the-Match accolade.
AmaZulu and Mothwa will be expecting a baptism of fire in this encounter against Chiefs with the visitors’ newest recruits still looking to impress new coach Nasreddine Nabi.
Veteran midfielder Gaston Sirino showed he was still one of the most decisive players in the division out in Bloemfontein against Gallants as he ran the show for Chiefs, and will look to do the same against AmaZulu.
Chiefs have lost their stranglehold on this fixture in recent years, winning just one of their last five games against AmaZulu, while losing two and drawing the other two.