Coach Arthur Zwane leads AmaZulu into a high-stakes KwaZulu-Natal derby against Durban City with a Top Four Betway Premiership finish on the line. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
AmaZulu have to win their final league match against or risk surrendering fourth place on the final day of the Betway Premiership season on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
AmaZulu have spent most of the campaign inside the league’s Top 4 and looked, at one point, certain to secure a CAF Confederation Cup place. But after a shaky finish to the season, Arthur Zwane’s side now head into their final match with pressure mounting from Sekhukhune United in fifth.
Babina Noko are one point behind the Durban-based side and have a superior goal difference as they prepare to face Siwelele, also on Saturday.
So, what once seemed a routine finish has suddenly become a tense final-day shootout to finish in the best possible position this season. Moreover, for Usuthu, Saturday’s KwaZulu-Natal derby is now about protecting the work they have built over the last several months.
A defeat, combined with a positive result for Sekhukhune, could see AmaZulu fall out of fourth place at the final hurdle and undo a season of hard work.
Coach Zwane has repeatedly spoken about the importance of qualifying for African football, insisting the experience would accelerate the development of his squad. AmaZulu have already surrendered that particular goal — Kaizer Chiefs have instead qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup through the league — and another missed objective could dent the club's morale and faith in their mentor.
AmaZulu are not the only side fighting for survival in the standings. Nedbank Cup champions Durban City enter the match with their own ambitions hanging by a thread. The Citizens are desperate to hold onto their Top 8 position and secure MTN8 football after an extraordinary first season back in the top flight.
Despite securing CAF qualification through that win, the Citizens’ league form has dipped alarmingly in recent weeks. The club have gone eight league matches without a victory, leaving their lucrative Top Eight hopes vulnerable heading into the final game.
Still, their recent goalless draw against the mighty Orlando Pirates showed the defensive resilience that has carried them through difficult moments this season.
That sets up a fascinating final-day clash: AmaZulu are fighting to save face and protect a Top Four finish, while City are battling to complete a dream campaign with a Top Eight finish to add to their cup success. Hopefully, it will ensure that neither team will hold anything back when they meet on Saturday at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Jehran Naidoo is sports reporter for Independent Media and social media coordinator of the our YouTube channel The Clutch.