Injured Prince Nxumalo to miss Ajax's tricky trip to Baroka FC

Ajax Cape Town will be without two-goal hero Prince Nxumalo for their trip to Limpopo to face high-flying Baroka FC in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Saturday.

Nxumalo bagged a brace as Ajax defeated Polokwane City 2-0 in their previous fixture last Friday to record a first win of the season.

But he also picked up a groin injury and has not trained at all this week‚ coach Stanley Menzo revealed.

“He will not travel with us‚” the coach confirmed.

“The same for [winger] Innocent Nemukondeni‚ who has an ankle injury.”

Better news for Ajax is the return to fitness of young midfielder Grant Margeman‚ who missed the game against City.

“Grant is OK‚ it is a long season‚ so we have to protect him a bit. But he should travel.”

Menzo admitted his relief at getting a first win and says the mood in the squad has been lifted this week.

“It gives you more belief and everything is better‚” he said.

“The whole week people are more positive‚ the training has another kind of vibe.

"That win was very important for us.”

Menzo says he knows exactly what to expect from Baroka … the unexpected.

“It will be very tough‚ knowing them it is [an intense] 90 minutes where they go everywhere on the field. It is non-structured‚ but that makes them dangerous.

“We will try to play our own game‚ I told the boys we have to keep possession and don’t fall into their way of playing. It will be a fight.”

Baroka coach Kgoloko Thobejane is known for his colourful turn of phrase and said last week his side would “kill whatever comes to us”.

Menzo fired back a warning of his own though and said Thobejane should choose his words carefully or he could hand extra motivation to their opponents.

“When you are playing an opponent‚ don’t encourage them and give them something to motivate them‚” Menzo said.

“That saying [of Thobejane’s] can motivate a team. The coach also said last year‚ “we are going to win the league” and they ended up battling relegation.”

But Menzo added that Thobejane will know his players and what words to use to get the best out of them.

 - TimesLIVE