Chiefs hope to give Spurs hard time
Chiefs hope to give Spurs hard time

Posted in News on Jul 28, 2003.

There's no better country on the African continent than South Africa to stage the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament, says Tottenham Hotspur manager Glenn Hoddle.



Hoddle's team clashes with Kaizer Chiefs at Newlands on Tuesday in a match arranged by South Africa's 2010 World Cup Bid Committee.



"I hope the surface is better than the one we played on in Durban on Saturday (against Orlando Pirates). That was a rugby stadium. The surface was very hard and the players struggled," said Hoddle on Monday.



Most of the venues earmarked by the Bid Committee for the 2010 tournament are rugby fields, and Hoddle believes something will have to be done about the surfaces.



"The playing surfaces will have to be softer if South Africa intends staging matches there," said Hoddle, who will be looking for a better performance form his team on Tuesday after their 1-2 loss to Orlando Pirates.



However, Hoddle said nothing was at stake for his team in the two matches in South Africa, apart from preparing for the English Premier League season.



"I'm satisfied with the way we played (against Pirates). In the match against Chiefs, we intend starting with a different combination. That's how we approach pre-season matches," said Hoddle.



However, the Spurs manager will field a stronger team on Tuesday, and soccer enthusiasts will definitely see the dangerous Robbie Keane in action.



Chiefs, on the other hand, will be out to give the visitors a hard time, especially in view of the victory achieved by their old enemy, Pirates, over Hoddle's team.



The clash could be of great importance to someone like Stanton Fredericks, who was one of the stars in the match against England a couple of months ago.



Another five-star performance by him could open doors for him overseas.

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