CAPE TOWN – Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker believes kicking off the season against a big team like Kaizer Chiefs will provide his players with a valuable confidence boost to begin the campaign strong.
Fresh off their MTN8 quarterfinal victory over AmaZulu over the weekend, Barker’s side is set to host Soweto giant Chiefs in their Betway Premiership season opener at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.
Barker believes his team is ready for the challenge and says his players have earned the right to perform in front of a packed stadium.
“It’s most certainly a nice start to the season to play a team of, you know, Kaizer Chiefs following, and they’re sort of the team that they are,” said Barker.
“I think, you know, the stadium will be packed and, you know, the players deserve to be playing in front of packed stadiums.
“They work hard the whole pre-season. I am excited for the challenge that awaits us.”
Barker says his team won’t be getting much rest this month, as they are set to play seven fixtures throughout August.
He added that the challenging fixture list will serve as an early test of the squad’s depth and resilience as they navigate a demanding start to the new campaign.
“Just look at our fixtures over the whole of August, we’ve got seven remaining games between now, so we’ll be playing a lot of matches,” he said.
“All of them are against a lot of real good opposition. So, it definitely does give us an opportunity to set a good marker for the season.
“By getting off to a good start, hopefully making a final and getting points on the board.”
Images: @StellenboschFC/Twitter.
