Steve Barker has described Stellenbosch FC’s fixture congestion as an opportunity rather than a burden as the Club looks to return to winning ways against Richards Bay this weekend.

Stellenbosch FC will host Richards Bay at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday in the second of four Betway Premiership matches scheduled in the space of 12 days for the team from the Cape Winelands.

The Maroons returned to Cape Town on Thursday following a narrow 2-1 defeat away to AmaZulu and will once again face opposition from Kwa-Zulu Natal when they welcome the Natal Rich Boyz to Stellenbosch this weekend.

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Speaking ahead of the encounter, Stellies’ head coach Steve Barker welcomed a return to Danie Craven Stadium and played down the impact of fixture congestion,

“We’re looking forward to playing back at the DC. It’s our home stadium and we generally do perform well here, so it’s nice to be back,” Barker said.

“There’s been a quick turnaround from our away game against AmaZulu, but preparations have gone well. This [the game against Richards Bay] is another big game for us and another opportunity to try and get a win, which is needed.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the mid-week result, but it’s important for us to get over that and refocus on putting in as good a performance as possible this weekend.

“In terms of the fixtures, it is what it is. We have to play a lot of games, but that’s what we want to do because it means we’re doing well in the cup competitions. We can’t see it as a burden, but rather as an opportunity and privilege.

“The league is structured in such a way that there are patches where you end up playing every three days, which we are now doing, so we just have to prepare well and manage the players’ load and ensure freshness so that they can give 100% whenever they are called upon.”

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The fixture between Stellenbosch FC and Richards Bay is scheduled to kick off at 17h30 on Saturday. Tickets are on sale at R40 for the match, or for R60 as a double deal that includes access to Wednesday’s encounter against Durban City.