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No Cape derby jitters for Ajax

Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town head coach Stanley Menzo foresees a match "full of passion" when they clash in the Cape derby against Cape Town City.

READ: City mean 'business', says Benni ahead of Cape derby

In their maiden season in the PSL after relocating and changing their name, the Citizens claimed bragging rights after winning both Premiership matches over the Urban Warriors.

Saturday will be different, or at least Menzo hopes, as Ajax desperately need points to climb the log table after an underwhelming 2016/17 campaign which saw the club fight for survival.

After just five games each, the Ikamva side occupy 12th position on the standings with City in fifth place.

"The game will be full of passion,” Menzo said at a press conference. "They have a new coach (Benni McCarthy), so some things have changed in their way of playing since last year; they also have new players, so we’ll see how things go from the beginning.

"There’ll be a lot of passion, but as long as we have respect for each other and fight for the three points... also the coaches, let’s go for it."

A former goalkeeper himself in his playing days, the Netherlands-born coach is learning a few new things from his players since his arrival at Ikamva, and maintains that the energy is very positive ahead of the match.

"It’s something special - I’ve never played a derby in my life," said Menzo.

"But its unique: two teams that play from the same stadium - you don’t see that often, I think only Milan has this at this moment. It creates energy, it brings people together and it’s good for football.

"I have even started to learn the singing of South African songs - yesterday the team was singing in the change room, and it was nice."

Kick-off is at 15:00.

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