Derby chance for Chiefs to show big-game resolve

Kaizer Chiefs star Keagan Dolly has made it clear they're not too obsessed about the hype that comes with the Soweto derby as they concentrate on the actual game.

Chiefs face their long-standing Soweto foes Orlando Pirates in what's a sold-out affair at FNB Stadium tomorrow. This clash has always boasted top-billing status in SA football. It adds more spice to this game that it will be played in front of a crowd for the first time in two years after Covid-19 forced a few of the previous derbies to be played behind closed doors.

"Playing for Chiefs, there's always pressure, because you're expected to win the games we play. We always try to focus more on the game than the occasion. Everyone is excited, nervous as well, because it's a big occasion for the rest of us. Most of us haven't played in front of a crowd like this in our careers. However, we are not thinking too much about the occasion because at the end of the day it's a football game,'' Dolly said during a media conference at the PSL headquarters in Parktown yesterday.

Chiefs have lacked big-game temperament this term, having already lost 0-4 to Mamelodi Sundowns early in the campaign and bowed out of the MTN8 at the expense of AmaZulu. Dolly implied they owe their fans a win in a big game such as the Soweto derby. The 29-year-old attacker also backed his off-form partner in crime, Khama Billiat, to regain his groove, feeling he needs just a single goal to get back his mojo. 

"We know in the past big games we played, things didn't go the way we planned. Going into this game, we know what we want to do; we want to make ourselves, our supporters and the chairman happy by winning,'' Dolly noted.

"Khama has been in the game for a long time... he's experienced. We know he is a quality player. It is going to take one game and one goal for him to regain his form. I also started this season very slowly but look, I have started scoring goals, getting my confidence back. One goal will help Khama a lot."