Civics meet upbeat Tigers

THE current predicament of failing to hit the net despite being efficient in keeping the ball will be high on the agenda for Civics when they meet an upbeat Tigers side at the Khomasdal Stadium tonight.

Kick-off is at 20h00. The triple league champions were badly bruised by Eleven Arrows who knocked them 2-0 in their away match in Walvis Bay last weekend, after hitting top gear with most of the possession, but failing to finish off with goals. Reports indicate that Civics were the better side against Arrows, but their lack of hunger in front of the goal let them down, while Arrows clinically capitalised on the chances they got to emerge as winners. Tonight, Civics will hunt down Tigers with their whole arsenal, well aware of their shortcomings in a mid-table clash that could go either way. Civics, a dominant force in the past few seasons until they were dethroned by Orlando Pirates, have a point to prove and a win will be good for the morale of a team, which suffers from a string of injuries. Defender Donnelly Nel will be out for the rest of the season with a hip and back injury resulting from a car accident, while leading striker Floris Diergaardt is due to undergo surgery on one of his shoulders early next week. Both knees of midfielder Ashley Jossop are troublesome and he is in doubt to start tonight, while defender Mentos Hipondoka and midfielder Doc Cloete will possibly be left out due to their poor attendance at training. WEAKENED TEAM Civics head coach Ricardo Mannetti will have a relatively weakened team for their future matches, but for tonight, he can still rely on the experience of Erastus Ndjavera and Sedekia Haukambe in defence. Former Ramblers midfielder Victor Helu has to carry the side in the middle of the park, while Eslin ‘Lovers’ Kamuhanga and Tugela Tuyeni can be of assistance. The mercurial Pineas Jacob will be employed as the chief striker, while he can be complemented opportunistic Bradley Wermann or the speedy Nelson Angula. Tigers do not have top notch players to count on, but coach Willem Kapukare will be expected to improvise with the ones he has for a winning formula on the day. He has Tangeni Shipahu as his main man upfront, but the experience of Gregory Horaeb and Rene Warner can also help the side avoid an embarrassing defeat. Their captain Fox Nambundunga in goal will have to lead from the front and take charge of his defence to ensure that they don’t go down easily to a side of equal strength. In other matches at the weekend, Ramblers host Arrows at the Ramblers Stadium on Saturday, while Orlando Pirates travel to Oshakati City in the north. African Stars will make their way to Otjiwarongo’s Mokati Stadium to meet Mighty Gunners. All matches on Saturday start at 17h00. – corry@namibian.com.na