Home advantage gives UJ psychological lift against UP Tuks

University of Johannesburg head coach Karabo Mogudi believes playing the Varsity Football semi-final at Soweto Stadium will provide his side with a significant psychological boost against UP Tuks on Friday evening.

UJ have not lost at home during their run in the competition, although UP Tuks halted their winning streak with a 1-0 victory in Pretoria last week. Ntokozo Madela scored the only goal in the 17th minute.

Mogudi says the support of the UJ fans, together with the team’s familiarity with its home surroundings, can help restore confidence ahead of the rematch.

“Home advantage is always good to have. It’s a psychological boost for the boys as they’ve never lost at home. We’ve built a fortress and even when we faced some seemingly insurmountable challenges, we still prevailed. The 12th player has been behind us all the way and familiarity will bring stability and calmness to the boys,” he told SABC Sport.

The semi-final will be the 11th meeting between UJ and UP Tuks in Varsity Football since the tournament began in 2013.

The Orange Army have the better record in the fixture, with five wins to UP Tuks’ four. The only draw between the teams came during the 2018 season.

Despite last week’s defeat, Mogudi said the result had reinforced the need for his players to maintain their standards throughout the competition. He said the team’s response would be to work harder, treat every match seriously and understand that high performance depends on consistency.

The loss, he added, could serve as a warning before the semi-final.

UP Tuks goalkeeper Koketso Mokou was named man of the match in Pretoria after helping his side secure the victory. However, Mogudi said UJ would not base their preparations solely on trying to overcome the goalkeeper.

“Football is a game of 11v11 on the field. Surely he did not play alone. You do not plan for one player. The fact that he was the man of the match is an indicator of the match events that made him the best player on the day. We shall readjust accordingly.”

Mogudi is currently on national duty with the national under-20s, but said winning this year’s Varsity Football tournament would carry enormous significance for the university and its supporters.

He also noted that the fans had not been able to properly celebrate the institution’s first triumph because of the conditions at the time.

“It would mean the world to the institution. It would mean a lot to the 12th player who never got to celebrate the 1st one properly due to conditions at the time. We have to work for it though. It will never be handed to us on a silver platter. We have to take it one game at a time.”