Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy admits that his side is not ready to be in contention for the Absa Premiership title, as they lack the squad depth, writes DYLAN APPOLIS.

The Citizens are currently placed fourth in the league standings with 30 points after 19 games played so far this season, trailing log leaders Bidvest Wits by seven points.

In the Nedbank Cup, City managed to advanced to the quarter-finals after securing a 3-0 victory over Highlands Park at Cape Town Stadium on Friday evening.

However, McCarthy believes that his side can realistically finish in a top-three position in the league, should they capitalise on their opportunities.

‘It’s hard to deal with a league race, we don’t have enough squad to be thinking about it, for us it’s to think about the future of this club,’ McCarthy said.

‘As much as we’re not worried about the league, when we see opportunities of capitalising, the players tend to struggle psychologically because some are not used to being in that position.

‘Players might be thinking too much about the league, which kills our momentum at times.

‘We can finish in the top three, but we need to be realistic, we don’t have a big squad like other teams. Some have 40 players and we only have 23, we don’t have that privilege.’

Cape Town City will now welcome Maritzburg United to Athlone Stadium when the two sides lock horns in the Absa Premiership on Saturday, with kick-off set for 3:30pm.

Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix