Leopards aim to claw back against Polokwane in derby

Black Leopards are motivated to get their first win of the Motsepe Foundation Championship when they take on Polokwane City tomorrow at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium (3pm).

Lidoda Duvha are one of the most recognisable names in the second tier of SA football. The Joel Masutha coached side ended the last campaign on high, picking good wins as they managed to save their status. So going to the new season, there was high optimism.

However, their bid to get promotion to the DStv Premiership did not start on the right note as they lost their opening game of the season to Hungry Lions last weekend. Despite the result, Masutha was encouraged by the team's display. 

"We are disappointed with the result, we would have liked to start on the right foot, I can’t fault the guys," said Masutha.

"We played well, we created and missed countless opportunities and the opponent had one opportunity and scored. We know what we need to work on. The guys are looking very sharp. 

"The guys are disappointed with the performance of our last match. It shows that we haven’t what made us win the games towards the end of the last season. Also, the new boys have seen what it means to play for Black Leopards," he said. 

With the Limpopo derby on the cards, Masutha wants his side to kick start their season with a win over their rivals. Although he's hungry for the three points, he knows that it won't be an easy game against Polokwane City. 

"I can tell it’s going to be one difficult match for both sides," Masutha said. 

"We are bracing ourselves for a very tough match against Polokwane City. They have signed very well, and they have assembled good quality players. We have to make amends for losing the last match, and there’s no better way to bounce back than to beat your homeboys, your rivals," he said. 

Fixtures: 

Today: Magesi v Cape Town Spurs, Old Peter Mokaba Stadium. 

Tomorrow: Hungry Lions v Pretoria Callies, Sivos Training Centre Stadium; JDR Stars v Casric Stars, Soshanguve Giant Stadium; Venda v Platinum City Rovers, Thohoyandou Stadium; Polokwane City v Black Leopards, Old Peter Mokaba Stadium; Baroka v All Stars, Baroka FC Village. 

Sunday: TTM v NB La Masia, Thohoyandou Stadium; Uthongathi v Pretoria University, Princess Magogo Stadium.