Erasmus Opens Up On Scoring Form Ahead Of Arrows

Mamelodi Sundowns forward Kermit Erasmus has opened up on his return to scoring form ahead of their DStv Premiership clash against Golden Arrows on Tuesday.

Erasmus, 31, has endured one of his most challenging seasons to date with the form of Sundowns attacking keeping him out of the starting line-up and restricting him to six starts in all competitions.

However, since opening his account for the season in the 3-0 win over Al Merrikh in the CAF Champions League, he added another two against Summerfield Dynamos in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final.

The South Africa international says his efforts behind the scenes is finally paying off as he looks forward to contributing further to the Sundowns silverware challenges this season.

“Yeah, you know, it’s been hard work from the beginning of the season that’s finally paying off for me,” he told the club’s media department. “It’s been a great preparation since the season started and you know, the players have been doing well.

“I think the competition has been good and I think that’s the result of the performances in recent matches. Just a high level of concentration and preparation for training in preparation for the game, so that always sharpens you up to be ready when you get the chance to play.”

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On the unpredictable challenge of Arrows, who are vying for a place in the top-eight, Erasmus pointed out a few players who he feels could pose some sort of danger – but admits they are more focused on how they can hurt the KZN-based outfit on Tuesday evening at Loftus Versveld.

“The players obviously, [Knox] Mutizwa and [Pule] Mmodi, with [Sbonelo] Cele on the left, you know, so I think our preparation has been good,” he explained.

“You know, we’re not too worried about the danger they possess, but more focused on how we can capitalise on their weaknesses and what we’ve planned for tomorrow’s game.

“So we’re looking forward to it and we’ll see what the game will bring. It’s always a difficult team to play against, they always play on [the] counter and they have a quick front three or front four.

“So it will be a tough game and I think if you can contain them, with their front three and we put pressure on the ball and not let them have time and space to play the long balls in behind, I think we stand a chance in getting the maximum points.”

Sundowns will travel to Angola for their first-leg Champions League quarter-final tie against Petro de Luanda after their league outing against Abafana Bes’thende.