TS Galaxy have set their sights on crowning their Carling Knockout Cup journey with a trophy as they prepare for Saturday’s showdown with Stellenbosch FC.
The Rockets will collide with Stellies in Saturday’s final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban (3pm kick-off), where they are looking to capture their second major cup title.
The Mpumalanga-based side have had to overcome a major psychological setback to be able to continue their voyage in the tournament, having lost veteran Bernard Parker to a broken leg in the first round.
Galaxy then went on to overcome Sekhukhune United, before sealing their place in the decider by edging a five-goal thriller against AmaZulu at the same venue as the final.
Head coach Sead Ramovic has also seen his side struggle in league action, and as a consequence, the Rockets currently occupy 14th spot on the DStv Premiership log, having won four, drawn three and lost six of their 13 matches.
Galaxy assistant coach Adnan Beganovic spoke to the media in Durban yesterday, and expressed the hardship his side has had to overcome to reach the final.
“Obviously we didn’t have an easy way to the final. We had the tough games, and in the first game, we lost Bernard Parker to a tough injury,” said Adnan Beganovic.
“In the last game we beat AmaZulu 3-2. It’s not easy for us, and before that, we played two games of 120 minutes – so it’s not easy on the players as well.”
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian coach also revealed that he expected a tight contest with Stellenbosch, given the data collected and analysis the two teams have done on each other in recent weeks.
“We’ve tried everything we need to to be ready for the final, but we’ve played many games (against each other).
“And in the end, I think whoever scores first will have a great opportunity to take the trophy.”
Although Galaxy are playing their second final in a space of five years, a huge chunk of the current crop of players are yet to taste silverware or even compete in a top-flight final.
That has placed great importance on the two technical teams to not only motivate, but organise their side accordingly in the hopes that their tactical analysis and approach see them emerge victorious in what is expected to be an energetic game.
Beganovic admitted that although Galaxy will not over-think things, the consequences of getting it wrong on the day has raised the difficulty level of the technical team.
“It’s hard, because we don’t only think about the final, but we work hard all season.
“We watch the opponent and analyse their strengths and weaknesses, but finding the right players to play is really hard.”
If Galaxy are to overcome Stellies, they would not only be the inaugural winner of the rebranded cup tournament, but will also get their first win over their Western Cape opponents.
IOL Sport