Chippa confident of finish in top eight

Chippa United coach Vladislav Heric is out to double-up on his winnings when his team host Ajax Cape Town in their Premier Soccer League match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Sunday (3pm).

Heric secured his second victory since taking over from Teboho Moloi when Chippa beat Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 at the FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.

The win against Amakhosi lifted the Chilli Boys to seventh position on the log with 33 points from 26 matches. They are only six points clear of the playoff spot, which is occupied by their opponents Ajax.

The Serbian coach is aware that Sunday’s game will not be an easy encounter, but says they have prepped the players well for the match.

“To prepare the players after their 3-0 win against Kaizer Chiefs is a little bit difficult, in terms of getting their feet on the ground,” the former Bay United mentor said.

“We have to work more on the mentality of the players than anything else because we are playing good football. A minority of mistakes cost us some games. “Ajax are fighting to escape relegation, they are fighting for life.

They are wounded lions and we all know how they are going to fight. “They have no choice but to do their best to win on Sunday. So I do not see any inferior team coming here.

“I see a very strong opponent, I see a very serious competitor and I see Ajax coming here and pulling out all the stops to win the match. “We have to be on our toes and approach them in the same mental way as we did Sundowns and Chiefs.

“But we will do our best on our side to make the players 100% focused on the game and technical discipline.

“If we keep ourselves together in the technical discipline I think we will get three points on Sunday afternoon.” Heric said their mandate had changed after clinching three points against Chiefs.

Now, the team was no longer fighting to avoid relegation, but for a top-eight finish. There are only four more games before the season concludes and he is confident they will reach their goal.

“We have all agreed that we are going to do our best to reach the top eight,” he said.

“We have already set a target after winning the Chiefs game. I believe the three points gave us the right to think as such and the players, management and technical team agreed that we are going to work hard to achieve that goal.”