Vasili feels top 3 is weighing Bay players heavily

Richards Bay co-coach Vasili Manousakis feels being among the chasing pack in the DStv Premiership is weighing heavily on their players, seeing the Nedbank Cup as a bolt for relief.

Newbies Bay, who occupy the third spot on the log, will play their first cup competition match as a top-flight side when they face Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup last-32 round at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday (7.30pm).

"This game [against Sundowns] comes at the right time because the last three games, let's be honest, weren't good for us...we collected two out of nine points.  I think being where we are is weighing heavily on them [players], so let's now approach a cup game...there's no weight on our shoulders and nobody is giving us any chance, so that might be our best chance to redeem ourselves,'' Manousakis said in a media conference at PSL headquarters in Parktown yesterday.

Manousakis also made it clear that as much as they respect Sundowns, who're the Ke Yona Cup's defending champions, they are not scared of them. Sundowns beat Bay 2-0 in a league clash early last month and Manousakis insisted they picked up a few lessons from that defeat, suggesting they won't sit back.

"The best way to stop them (Downs) is to try and go pound-for-pound with them, but that will leave you a little bit exposed. When we played them a couple of weeks ago, it was  a game of two halves...we were lucky not to be three nil down at halftime. The lesson is, we respect them but we're not afraid of them,'' said  Manousakis, who steers the Bay ship with Pitso Dladla.