Stars, Pirates need to up game

THE victories for both Orlando Pirates and African Stars in the premiership at the weekend will give them enough confidence ahead of their Cell One NFA Cup quarter-final clash on Saturday, but they still need to up their game.

The two giants meet at the Independence Stadium in the richest football competition in the country, ahead of another semi-final match between Bingo FC and SKW, also at the same venue.In Walvis Bay, Ramblers will open proceedings against Blue Waters before Eleven Arrows meet Newcastle United.But the focus will be on the Windhoek clash which sees both sides clearly hungry for the N$500 000 winner’s prize at stake. But to get through to the semi-final and ultimately lift that title, both teams have to do a bit more work in several areas of their play.In fact, both sides struggled to dispatch their opponents at the weekend, with Stars failing to bury Gunners who will see their way out of the league at the end of the season, while City also put up a great fight only to go down in the second half.It will be back to the drawing board for both Pirates coach Dawid Snewe and Stars mentor Bobby Samaria if they really want to make it through to the semi-finals.The biggest downfall of both teams at the weekend was that they failed to effectively stamp their authority on their inferior opponents. Their defences were at times heavily exposed and they did not create enough goal scoring chances overall.Pirates struggled to contain the pressure in the left defensive position and most crosses by City were taken from that end, while Stars seemed to have an off day in target shooting. They struggled to break down the Gunners midfield and their typical strong runs from the flanks, especially by Edison Muheua, yielded little results.IMPROVE DEFENCES Both coaches have to work on their defence and insist that their strikers become sharper, hungrier and efficient on match day.Although Pirates only conceded one goal and Stars none, there is a need to make sure that they keep it tight at the back.Upfront, Pirates striker Wilfred Coetzee did not show enough pace and can improve in that area or has to make way for the young Sidney Urikhob next time.Stars midfielder Rudi Louw, who went off after a groin injury, has to recover in time for the weekend’s match, as his services will be needed.Louw has hit top form, but his usual aggression of leaving his opponents for dead through his great skills has not come to the fore yet.Pirates expressed their hunger in a 3-1 win over Oshakati City, while Stars downed Mighty Gunners 2-0 in their respective weekend league matches.But those results will be something of the past and both teams will aim at getting a win at all costs, knowing the prowess and capabilities of each other. Stars will go in as favourites judging from their current status in the league, while Pirates, who now sit in fifth spot after their win, will be the dark horses.Stars are in second spot on 40 points from their 17 matches, while Pirates sit on 32 points from 18 matches. corry@namibian.com.na