Mamelodi Sundowns captain Themba Zwane has conceded that Stellenbosch FC are not a weaker side, despite losing their playmaker Sibongiseni Mthethwa to Kaizer Chiefs.
Ox, as Mthethwa is fondly known, moved from the Cape Winelands to the glamourous Chiefs village in Naturena on the eve of deadline day last week Thursday.
Ahead of their DStv Premiership encounter at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Wednesday night, Zwane said coach Steve Barker always has a trick up his sleeve and will have someone capable to fill in the void left by Mthethwa.
“I don’t think losing Mthethwa to Chiefs makes them a weaker team,” Zwane told the Sundowns media team on Tuesday.
“If you check the way coach [Steve] Barker does things, he’ll always have someone who’s similar to Mthethwa. They have a lot of players who are aggressive on the ball.
“To be honest, it’s going to be a difficult game – Stellenbosch are always looking to use their pace upfront.
“They are going to sit back and try to catch us on counter attacks, but we know what to do. We will take care of the ball and try to manage the game well.”
Ever since the departure of Mthethwa, Stellies have played one game, and they came out victorious after beating Orlando Pirates 1-0 in their MTN8 semi-final second leg clash at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Zwane singled out striker Iqraam Rayners as the main Stellies threat, with the likes of midfielder Sihle Nduli also expected to pick up from where he left off against Pirates and prove that he can fill in the big shoes left by Mthethwa.
For the Brazilians, they will be eying their eighth straight win in the league, but standing in their way is a young Stellies side that caused problems for them last season, when they knocked them out of the Nedbank Cup.
Kick-off time is at 7:30pm.
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