Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi admits that the players should take responsibility for the club's misery in the DStv Premiership this season.

While Akpeyi believes the players can turn the situation around, he feels they have let the team down.

The statistics do not make for pretty viewing with just one win, four draws and four defeats from their opening nine fixtures for Amakhosi.

But the Nigeria international wants his side to take their misery out on AmaZulu when they meet at Kings Park Stadium this afternoon (3pm). 

“What I can say is that mentally right now we should be strong going into our next game because we’ve quality players who we rely upon,” Akpeyi told the club's media department.

“But sometimes we disappoint ourselves. I’m thinking that the next game, going to AmaZulu, we are taking the pain to them. It is high time that we start making ourselves happy and it is high time we start making the fans happy.”

Chiefs will be coming into this fixture fresh from their 2-0 defeat to Maritzburg United at FNB Stadium at the weekend.

But the 34-year-old promised that they are going to Durban with a different mentality.

“Every team wants to look at our situation and say we can get three points or a point at least from Chiefs,” he said. “But I can assure you that the players are working [on] everything together mentally, physically to make sure that we go into the next game to do better, and the AmaZulu game hopefully it would be a turnaround for us.

“We keep on telling ourselves that we need to change the mentality in the next game. We have to keep encouraging ourselves [in the belief] that we will come right in our next game.”

Chiefs are one point off the relegation places but Akpeyi insists they are not panicking and are not thinking about the drop.

Amakhosi suffered a blow after they confirmed that attacking midfielder Khama Billiat has cracked his leg bone and will be out for two months. They will also have to do without Leonardo Castro, who has been ruled out with an abdominal strain.

Fixtures

Today: AmaZulu v Chiefs, Kings Park Stadium, 3pm; SuperSport v Celtic, Lucas Moripe Stadium, 5pm; Tshakhuma v Pirates, Thohoyandou Stadium, 5pm

Saturday: SuperSport v Sundowns, Lucas Moripe Stadium, 3pm; Arrows v Tshakhuma, Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, 3pm; TS Galaxy v Chippa, Mbombela Stadium, 3.30pm; Celtic v Stellenbosch, Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium, 3.30pm; Cape Town City v Chiefs, Cape Town Stadium, 5pm; Baroka v Swallows, Peter Mokaba Stadium, 5pm

Sunday: AmaZulu v Maritzburg, Kings Park Stadium, 3.30pm; Leopards v Pirates, Thohoyandou Stadium, 3.30pm