Ajax Cape Town defender Roscoe Pietersen has stressed the importance of their upcoming fixture against Free State Stars at Athlone Stadium on Friday.

The Urban Warriors are placed 12th on the Absa Premiership standings with 20 points, and have won only five of 20 matches played so far this season, while Ea Lla Koto sits in 14th position with 18 points, having won four matches out of 20 played.

The 28-year-old admits that it’s going to be a ‘tough’ encounter, but insists that the Urban Warriors will go all out in the hopes of securing all three points.

‘It is a team that is around the same position where we found ourselves on the log standings, it is a six-pointer for us,’ Pietersen told the Ajax Cape Town website.

‘It is going to be a tough game, they do play a good brand of football – they have a new coach now [Serame Letsoaka] – they are a hard-working team.

‘For us, it is our home game, so we have to take the game to them, stick to our principles, stick to the coach’s plan and yes, we are going out there for all three points.’

He added: ‘To get the three points, it makes the gap bigger between ourselves and those below us on the log standings, plus this game gives us the opportunity to close in on the top eight.’

Pietersen says he is confident that the Urban Warriors can improve their performance to claim their first victory of 2017.

‘I am sure that is our focus as well, the season hasn’t been going our way thus far, but in the league, we got a few valuable points against the big teams,’ he added.

‘Sometimes, yes, mentally it is a bit harder coming up against the so-called smaller teams, but we have to take the game to them – get more self-motivation and stick together as a group.’

Ajax will now take on Free State Stars when the two sides meet in the Absa Premiership on Friday.

The match at Athlone Stadium kicks off at 20:00.

Image: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix