Defending champs UFS in must-win DUT clash to keep playoff hopes alive

12 hours ago

2 min read

The pressure is firmly on the defending Varsity Football champions, UFS, ahead of a crucial clash against DUT in Bloemfontein on Friday.

With the race for the playoff places heating up, UFS are in danger of missing out on the knockout stages. However, all is certainly not lost for the Free Staters, who still have their destiny in their own hands.

There are plenty of positives for the Blues to take into their final two round-robin fixtures, but they know there is little room for error if they are to keep their title defence alive.

Last week, the under-pressure UFS side dug deep to claim a valuable point on the road in a 1-1 draw against log leaders the University of Johannesburg. A week earlier, they had also picked up their first win of the campaign away from home against the University of Limpopo.

Those results have given UFS a timely boost, but the equation is simple: six points are still up for grabs, and the first three have to come against DUT at Shimla Park.

Anything less than victory will leave the defending champions with a mountain to climb.

The ball is firmly in UFS’s court and, with plenty of experience and talent in their squad, coach Mokete Tsotetsi knows it is now up to his players to deliver when it matters most.

“As you know, we did not start well, and we managed to bounce back,” said the former Bafana Bafana centre-back.

“At least we got some points in these past two games, which is putting us in a better spot, but you know, it’s now on us to work harder to get more points.

“We were expected to get six points, but we managed to get four, which isn’t enough.”

Tsotetsi believes the time has come for UFS to turn their home form around after Shimla Park has not quite been the happy hunting ground they would have wanted this season.

“So now we have a duty at home – we need to get maximum points to keep our hopes alive of getting into the semis.

“That’s what we hope for – getting six points in these two games.”

Fixtures: HERE

Tickets: HERE