AmaZulu defender Xoki eyes Swallows match as an opportunity to bounce back from opening day defeat

AmaZulu defender Tapelo Xoki says they cannot afford to drop another three points at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on Wednesday against Swallows after they lost their opening DStv Premiership match against champions Mamelodi Sundows on Friday.

Usuthu finished as runners up to Sundowns last season, and Xoki feels they have to bounce back against the Dube Birds to show everyone that last season's form was not a once off.

Themba Zwane’s penalty conceded just a minute before half-time saw Usuthu go down 1-0 against the Brazilians, who are fighting to win an unprecedented fifth league title in a row.

Xoki, however, feels they were unlucky not to at least come back to Durban with a point in their game against Sundowns.

“It’s a game we have to win at all costs,” Xoki said of their home match against Swallows on Wednesday.

“We didn’t start well against Sundowns. We played well but we didn’t get the result we deserved. We have to knuckle down and grind a home result that will put us up there.”

Xoki said the loss against Sundowns, which followed a few days after their MTN8 quarterfinal defeat to Cape Town City at home, disturbed their plans. But he feels the team is strong enough to recover from a bad start to the 2021-22 campaign.

“It was not an ideal start for us away from home, but now we’re coming back to the ground we’re used to, the atmosphere we know. It’s a home game and there’s no excuses,. We’re used to the pitch and it’s a pitch we enjoy to play at.

“The last game (last season) we played here, we played against Swallows and we won. So we want to start the season on that note and we’re going to be positive going to the game.”

Swallows will come to Wednesday’s game in high spirits after winning 1-0 in their opening game at home against PSL debutants Royal AM on Sunday.

Usuthu’s game against Swallows comes just over two weeks before they make their debut in the Champions League where they’ll face Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi in the first round.

AmaZulu will host Bullets on the weekend of September 10 and 11 before they travel to Blantyre for the second leg on September 17 and 18. Benni McCarthy’s side will face the five-time Champions League winners TP Mazembe of DR Congo in the second round in October if they dodge defeat against the Bullets.