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Baxter a tad worried over tough-cookie AmaTuks

ALL-ROUND THREAT: University of Pretoria striker Mame Niang wins a header against a Moroka Swallows defender during their clash recently. AmaTuks bulldozed Swallows 3-2. Photo: Gallo Images
ALL-ROUND THREAT: University of Pretoria striker Mame Niang wins a header against a Moroka Swallows defender during their clash recently. AmaTuks bulldozed Swallows 3-2. Photo: Gallo Images

Premier Soccer League rookies AmaTuks have impressed Stuart Baxter, but the Kaizer Chiefs coach hopes Amakhosi are not the university side's first major scalp this season.

Chiefs host Tuks at FNB Stadium tomorrow at 6pm in a clash that marks the halfway point of the season.

Steve Barker's side have so far failed to register a win against the likes of Orlando Pirates, SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns, but having been boosted by their first home win last weekend, they will fancy their chances against Chiefs.

"Tuks is a difficult game for many reasons. (They're) Very well organised and a difficult team to come up against," said Baxter. "They will certainly see this (Chiefs game) as a big scalp if they can take it. They certainly are going to be a bit more confident away from home."

AmaTuks' win against fellow new boys Chippa United last weekend was their first at home this season. It was a statistic that was starting to worry coach Barker, who said it should have been easier to win in their compact university ground.

Baxter has reason to be fearful perhaps.

Tuks are no pushovers away from home, with four of their five wins in this campaign on the road, a run which included beating Bloemfontein Celtic at the Free State Stadium.

"Sometimes teams are more comfortable away from home just because they feel a bit more pressure at home. But I have to say, they are not a different team away from home. They still play the same way, but with more confidence probably," said Baxter.

What is Baxter's big plan for a team that once tormented Amakhosi in a Nedbank Cup round of 16 tie in 2009 while still campaigning in the National First Division?

"We need to make sure we don't try got get on the backfoot, but make sure we can dictate the tempo of the game," the Englishman said of fifth-placed Tuks.

And Chiefs have - with the exception of their only defeat so far, a 2-0 loss to Platinum Stars - not been short of a plan this season.

For Tuks, Barker has never made it a secret that the team tries to play to lanky forward Mame Niang's strengths with long balls into the opposition box.

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