Nothing less than a win for AmaZulu soccer

Luck and a little more is what AmaZulu need if they hope to secure a top eight finish in Saturday's final round of the Absa Premiership.

Usuthu must beat recently crowned PSL champions SuperSport United and pray that Moroka Swallows lose to Jomo Cosmos if they are to unseat the eighth-placed "Birds". Last season AmaZulu were in the position that Swallows currently occupy, and they were lucky that although they lost, they were not overtaken by Mamelodi Sundowns, who also lost on the final day.

This time the Durban side needs more. They must win, and rely on Cosmos beating Swallows, so as to overtake Swallows with a superior goal difference. Anything less and AmaZulu will miss out on the money-spinning MTN8 tournament that saw local rivals Lamontville Golden Arrows bank a cool R8 million as champions this season.

A huge plus point is that the Swallows versus Cosmos clash is no ordinary affair. Cosmos are desperate for a win to keep alive their hopes of overtaking Mpumalanga Black Aces for the second-bottom position that will give the team a second chance at survival through the promotion/relegation play-offs.

One loss in their last five games indicates that form is not a major worry for Neil Tovey's men.

Against SuperSport they will be on course for a third straight league victory.

Home advantage suits AmaZulu perfectly, in that over the past two seasons the Pretoria outfit has lost to Usuthu in Durban.

The fact that AmaZulu also dumped them out of the MTN8 in the first round in Durban this season will be a further boost to confidence.

Strengthened

While SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt can afford to rest some of his key players, particularly winger Daine Klate and defender Bongani Khumalo, who leave tomorrow for the Bafana Bafana camp in Brazil, AmaZulu are strengthened by the return to fitness of winger Thabo Mabaso.

In striker Ayanda Dlamini they boast a goal-hungry forward who is determined to finish in double figures in his first professional season. Dlamini stands on eight goals.

Maritzburg also aim to end the league campaign on a high. They are on course to register a third straight home win at the revamped Harry Gwala Stadium when Santos visit the KwaZulu-Natal capital.

"The last two games at Harry Gwala have seen some excellent football being displayed by the team, and the boys will be keen to avenge the 4-0 loss earlier in the season in the away game in Cape Town," said brand manager, Younus Kadodia.

"The objective at the beginning of the season was to target a place in the top 10, and this game allows us to finish in ninth place."

A Maritzburg Legends team will play against Savages Football Club in the main curtain-raiser, which kicks off at 1.15pm.

Tickets are R30 and R15 for junior

P W D L F A Pts

SuperSport 29 16 9 4 5122 57

Sundowns 29 15 8 6 40 24 53

Chiefs 29 13 9 7 37 24 48

Santos 29 11 11 7 33 20 44

Pirates 29 10 13 6 25 17 43

Celtic 29 9 14 6 37 34 41

Ajax 29 11 8 10 26 28 41

Swallows 2910 9 10 29 36 39

AmaZulu 29 10 6 13 27 35 36

Maritzburg 29 8 11 10 28 38 35

Arrows 29 6 14 9 25 30 32

Wits 29 6 14 9 30 39 32

FS Stars 29 5 16 8 28 28 31

Platinum 29 9 4 16 26 32 31

Aces 29 5 10 14 19 37 25

Cosmos 29 4 12 13 21 39 24