SuperSport United striker Gamphani Lungu says there is no pressure to compete with Mamelodi Sundowns this season.
The DStv Premiership side are competing on a number of fronts this season, including the CAF Confederation Cup by virtue of their third-placed finish last term.
They have since qualified for the group stage of the continental competition, while they are set to face Polokwane City in the first round of the Carling Knockout Cup, having seen their MTN8 campaign end in the quarter-finals, to Stellenbosch.
Gavin Hunt’s side are currently in third place on the league standings with 16 points, while Sundowns top the standings with 24 points.
But Lungu’s says the size of SuperSport’s squad, as well as the fact that they are now playing at the Peter Mokaba Stadium instead of the Lucas Moripe Stadium, means the odds are stacked against the club.
Polokwane 'home to blame' for SuperSport's woes: SuperSport United striker Gamphani Lungu doesn’t think the fact that they were one of the teams tipped to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns this season has put them under pressure. https://t.co/mPJsDhUQpY
— SA Breaking News (@SABreakingNews) October 17, 2023
Lungu told the Sowetan: “I won’t say it’s pressure. I think it’s because we have a small squad and more travelling has made a lot of difference.
“We are not playing our home games here. We are playing in Polokwane every week, which we’ve not done before. There was a weekend where we played in Cape Town or Durban, we arrived the next day in Johannesburg and we had to travel to Polokwane for our next match and we arrived a day before the game.
“It’s hard because we have a thin squad. It’s not as big as Sundowns’, Orlando Pirates’ or Kaizer Chiefs’. I don’t want to use that as an excuse but sometimes it does take a toll on players.”
Lungu added: “We are looking forward to playing in this cup because this is a new competition and we want to go to the next round.”
