Gavin Hunt hints at Stellenbosch changes in CAF dead rubber

Stellies were eliminated from the competition after losing 3-0 to Otoho d’Oyo last week, and find themselves languishing at the bottom of Group C, with no chance of advancing regardless of the result. 

Having arrived at the club just last month, Hunt says the match is an opportunity to see some of his players and test their depth for the remainder of the domestic season.

"Yeah, obviously we all know the situation so for me it pretty much gives us – or for me personally – another look to assess the players available in our squad," said Hunt.

"So I'll obviously give a few more players a run, that's how I see [this match] and we'll obviously try and use it as a good exercise for the upcoming fixtures, which are certainly going to be much tougher.

"And we're going to need everybody in our coming fixtures, especially with our league situation, so we look at it like that.

"We obviously wanted to be riding more on the game but it didn't happen [because of] the last two or three games, so it's disappointing from that perspective, but from another perspective we can use it as a good exercise for our team."

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While the result in that game will be inconsequential for both Stellies and Singida, Hunt still expects a high intensity approach from both sides.

"Well I think if you're a good professional you'll treat a game with respect – I always say any game of football should be treated with respect because the game owes you nothing and we owe everything to football," he added.

"So I think we need to treat it with a lot of respect, play properly and obviously there are a lot of players that need to prove to me that they deserve to play a little bit more on a regular basis, and games like this certainly will tell me that.

"There are also a few players who need a bit more match fitness, who came in late in the window and haven't played much, so these types of games are good for them as well to hopefully get us more minutes and mileage in our legs for what's coming ahead."