Daniel Cardoso feels there is no better time for Kaizer Chiefs to start winning matches and climb the DStv Premiership table than now.

Chiefs will host Black Leopards tonight at FNB Stadium (7.30pm) in a match they need to win and move up the table.

“We need the three points. We are falling behind on the log, and we’ve not had the best start to the season, so we want to get back on track,” Cardoso told the club's media department.

“The boys know what is at stake. We need to start climbing the table. So it is not going to be an easy task, but I think we will be up for it.”

Despite a disappointing goalless draw against PWD Bamenda in the CAF Champions League preliminary round fixture at home to secure a 1-0 aggregate win over two legs, the 31-year-old said there were positives that they were taking heading to the Leopards match.

“If we take confidence out of this past weekend’s game and convert our chances, I think we can get back to winning ways,” Cardoso said. “We’ve not won a game for quite some time now in the PSL, which we need to change. It is not going to be an easy one, but we are definitely up for it.

“It is also going to be vital for us to keep a clean sheet. I know we have not been doing that, and we are not enjoying the best defensive record at the moment, but we will change it around. We are hoping to take the same positivity we had on the weekend in our CAF game. It was not an easy game, but we did play good football. Hopefully, we can take that and bring it into our Leopards game.”

Lidoda Duvha are also looking to bounce back to winning ways following their 0-1 defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic in their past match, and Cardoso knows it won’t be easy.

“They have had a break over the weekend, and they had a bit of rest, so it gave them a bit of time to prepare against us.It is not easy playing every three days, but that’s what we have a big squad for.”

Chiefs will be without midfielder Kearyn Baccus [thigh muscle strain] and striker Dumisani Zuma [hamstring injury] tonight.