Chiefs need points to save face

Following last week’s disappointment of losing to Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup semifinal, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siyethemba Sithebe believes finishing third in the DStv Premiership should be enough motivation for them.

Chiefs have a chance to salvage their season by finishing third and qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup next season with two matches remaining.

But to achieve that, they will need to get six points in their remaining games against SuperSport United tomorrow at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace (3pm) and against Cape Town City next week Saturday.

“We gave it all [of] our best [against Pirates] and we made those few mistakes, but I’m happy with the performance of the team and coming to SuperSport, I think we still need to focus as anything can still happen," Sithebe told the club media department. “We can still finish third and as players, we need to have that motivation and our mindset needs to be positive.”

SuperSport, who lost the reverse fixture 1-2, are also aiming to finish second and are keen to avenge that defeat they suffered in the first round.

But Sithebe said they all agreed that they cannot afford to drop points against a side they want to remove from third place.

“We know SuperSport, how they play and win games and the football they are playing,” he said.

“For us, we need to be prepared for those long balls the way they play and that’s where our preparations have been focused.

“The coach [Arthur Zwane] told us we can’t lose against SuperSport and he is more positive that we can win this game.”

Meanwhile, SuperSport captain Onismor Bhasera said they know what is at stake and will go all out to win the match to keep their chances of finishing second alive.

“Im not worried about them [Chiefs] and what is happening there. I’m here at SuperSport and focusing on the game against them. We are playing at home and the boys have been training very well and working very hard,” Basera told the media earlier this week.

“They know the importance of this game, so that’s what we are focusing on. We don’t want to be complacent and we will go all out to win the match.”

Fixtures

Tomorrow: Arrows v AmaZulu, Princess Magogo; CPT v Bay, Cape Town; Maritzburg v Stellenbosch, Harry Gwala; Royal v Swallows, Chatsworth; Galaxy v Chippa, Mbombela; Pirates v Sekhukhune, Orlando; SuperSport v Chiefs, Royal Bafokeng.

All matches kick off at 3pm.