Barclays English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur will have it all to play for when they take on Orlando Pirates and defending champions Kaizer Chiefs in the Vodacom Challenge to be held in South Africa, from July 21 to 28, says former Spurs goalkeeper Milija Aleksic.
Johannesburg-based Aleksic, who was in goal for Spurs when the London side beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup final at Wembley in 1981, said although Spurs’s Dutch coach Martin Jol will use the pre-season training tour to knock his squad into shape for the English Premiership season, going down to Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs will definitely not be part of the plan.
”The Tottenham Hotspur brand is internationally acclaimed as a force in club football and their players are mature and professional enough to realise club pride will be at stake when they compete in the Challenge,” said Aleksic, who spent four years of his playing career at Spurs before coming to South Africa in 1982, where he finished his career in the colours of Wits University.
”Pre-season tours are highly important for English clubs as far as getting the players into gear for the new season, is concerned. Spurs have two fine goalkeepers in England international Paul Robinson and understudy Robert Burch, who was in goal when Spurs toured South Africa back in 2003, and I am expecting Jol to give both goalkeepers some match time during the tournament.”
Jol is expected to select his starting line-up from players of the calibre of Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane, England internationals in striker Jermain Defoe, winger Aaron Lennon and goalkeeper Paul Robinson, along with the likes of Côte d’Ivoire midfielder Didier Zokora and Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov — top goal-scorer last season with 23 goals in his debut campaign at the club.
The week of soccer action will see four-time winners Kaizer Chiefs up against Spurs at the Absa stadium in Durban on July 21, while inaugural winners Orlando Pirates will play against the English club at Newlands in Cape Town on July 24.
The Vodacom Challenge derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs will be staged at the Eastern Province Rugby Union stadium in Port Elizabeth, on July 26.
The winner of the derby will take on Spurs in the Vodacom Challenge showpiece final, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 28.
The financial input of title sponsor Vodacom and co-sponsors Absa, Macsteel and PEP Stores have made the affordable ticket pricing structure possible.
Fifty seven percent of all tickets on sale fall into the lower price bracket of R35 per person.
Tickets for the Challenge are on sale at Computicket, Shoprite, Checkers and Checkers Hyper outlets. – Sapa