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- Stellenbosch FC face a double Cape derby this week, first against Cape Town City on Tuesday evening and then against Cape Town Spurs on Saturday afternoon.
- With aspirations for continental football, Stellenbosch aim to secure six points from both fixtures to boost their position in the league.
- Coach Steve Barker emphasises excitement over fear, focusing on one game at a time and aiming to give fans bragging rights over their more established Cape rivals.
- For more, please visit News24 Sports' home page.
There was no tremor of fear or concern in the voice of Steve Barker when he glowingly spoke about what his Stellenbosch FC side would face in five days as they duel in a double Cape derby delight.
Tuesday evening (19:30), Stellies will trek from the Cape Winelands to Cape Town Stadium for a highly anticipated DStv Premiership clash against Cape Town City.
Erik Tinkler’s team is positioned directly below the log leaders and likely champions Mamelodi Sundowns (42 points), who are 11 points ahead and have two matches in hand.
City (31 points) are in contention with four other Premiership teams - Kaizer Chiefs (26 points, sixth), Orlando Pirates (28 points, fourth), SuperSport United (29 points, third) and Stellenbosch (28 points, fifth) - for the opportunity to compete in the CAF Champions League next season.
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The top two positions in the league secure this honour.
Then on Saturday afternoon, the Maroon-clad outfit are back under the familiar blue skies and greenery of Stellenbosch at the iconic Danie Craven Stadium, where they will come face to face against 16th-placed relegation-threatened Cape Town Spurs (10 points).
Ernst Middendorp, who replaced Shaun Bartlett late last year, will come to Stellenbosch searching for maximum points as they continue to claw their way out of the danger zone.
Barker and his team are aiming for six points in both upcoming fixtures, which would significantly boost their chances of securing continental football.
Despite lingering concerns about two massive fixtures, Barker focuses on channelling excitement rather than fear as they pursue this goal.
"Derbies are always exciting matches to be involved with, and to have back-to-back derbies four/five days apart is a pretty exciting opportunity as a team," said Barker.
"From a log table point of view, they are massive games to get decent points from to keep us in the position that we want to be at the end of the season.
"Then, from a fan point of view, we want to give them the bragging rights.
"Stellenbosch has maybe been the baby of all the (Cape) teams having only been established (in 2016), while City (founded in 1962, reformed in 2016) and Spurs (founded in 1970, reformed in 2020) have been around for longer.
"A victory over the two of them will definitely give our fans something to be happy about."
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In weeks like this, with derbies at the double, Barker's priority is the immediate challenge – focusing solely on the first match at hand.
"It is one game at a time. The focus is currently on City and once we get past that hurdle, then we’ve got a couple of days to prepare for Spurs."
It's already been a season of highs for Barker and his Stellies charges, clinching their first piece of silverware late last year with the Carling Knockout Cup.
Facing a tough week ahead without fear has become the norm for the coach and his players.
