By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Benni McCarthy has a lot on his mind as his team AmaZulu are going to embark on a long trip to Thohoyandou for a Nedbank Cup second round fixture against Black Leopards.
The AmaZulu coach is hoping to lead Usuthu to victory when they clash with Lidoda Duvha at the Thohoyandou Stadium at 15h00 on Saturday.
“I think Black Leopards have a new management, a very experienced coach that came in. I think when there are changes at clubs they spark something new for the players,” McCarthy said referring to Kostadin Papic, who joined Leopards recently as their technical manager.
Lidoda Duvha were on top of their game on Tuesday defeating Lamontville Golden Arrows 2-1 in a DStv Premiership match in Durban. Few people gave Lidoda Duvha a chance to win considering that Arrows had been doing well before that match.
“It was a good win for them. I think the Nedbank Cup is a different beast. I’m expecting a very tough game for us,” the former Cape Town City coach said.
As is always the case with coaches from coastal clubs, McCarthy is concerned about the trip to Leopards.
“The travel to Thohoyandou is a nightmare. The conditions, I think the weather is different from Durban. Ja, we’ve got a lot to adapt to. Hopefully, the pitch will be playable so that we can play the way we wanna play,” he said.
“The conditions are strange to us. I’m expecting a tough hard game. We just wanna go out there and be organised and be disciplined.”
