Seema demands more of his players as Sekhukhune visit Usuthu

Sekhukhune United coach Lehlohonolo Seema is anticipating a tough encounter when they visit AmaZulu in the DStv Premiership match at King Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday (7.30pm).

Babina Noko head into the match on the back of a goalless draw with Stade Malien in the CAF Confederation Cup group match at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.

With Usuthu losing their previous match to Mamelodi Sundowns, Seema expects them to come out guns blazing but said they would also put up a fight as they desperately wanted the victory.

“It has been very difficult [because of their hectic schedule] and the players have been cooperative, very patient with us. We are asking a lot from them,” Seema told the media during the post-match press conference.

"The mood now is a little bit down. But we will work hard and we will put a good team against AmaZulu because we need those points as much as they need them.

“It is not going to be easy. They lost their last game, and I’m sure they would not want to lose two in a row. It’s going to be a difficult one, but we will fight on Wednesday.”

Having not had enough time because of their busy schedule since he took over, Seema said he would use the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) break to implement his philosophy and that they would be different after the recess.

“There is still a lot of work to do and we need the Afcon break and we will use it very well, but as I said, there are a lot of positives that we can take,” he said.

“We are working together and next year, we will have worked on a lot of aspects and this team will look different.

“We still have to go to Mali next week and play league games before we can even think about the break. We need to fight and make sure we finish on high.”

Following their draw against Malien, Sekhukhune remained third in Group D with four points, with three matches remaining.

“There are a lot of positives we are taking out of this game and it has also given me an idea in terms of other players who have not played for a long time.

“Now we will sit down as a technical team and map our way forward so we can assemble the squad that will take us throughout the season in all competitions.”

Meanwhile, SuperSport United suffered their third defeat in the competition when they lost 2-1 to Al Hilal Benghazi on Sunday.

Fixtures

Wednesday: Sundowns v Spurs, Loftus Versfeld (7.30pm); AmaZulu v Sekhukhune, King Zwelithini (7.30pm)

Friday: Swallows v SuperSport, Dobsonville (3.30pm).

Sunday: Arrows v Pirates, Mpumalanga (3.30pm)

Carling Knockout final

Saturday: Stellenbosch v Galaxy, Moses Mabhida (3pm)