Ntseki sings praises of Castillo and Du Preeze

Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki reckons two of their arguably best players so far, Ashley du Preez and newcomer Edson Castillo, haven't yet hit top gear despite telling displays in the club's first three games of the campaign.

Chiefs' only three goals this season are courtesy of Du Preez and Castillo. The former scored his first goal of the season when Amakhosi lost 2-1 to reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns in their second league match  almost a week ago. He added his second on Sunday when they dumped Cape Town City out of the MTN8.

Castillo netted the winner against City. The Venezuelan's strike in stoppage time ensured Chiefs a place in the semifinals , where they'll once again lock horns with Sundowns in a two-legged fixture. By yesterday, the league hadn't confirmed venues and dates for the MTN8 semifinals. 

"I think Du Preez isn't yet at his 8% [as far as fitness level is concerned] because he got injured in our last game of last season against City and he didn't have a full pre-season with us. He's got a big heart,'' Ntseki said.

"If we are talking of him already scoring goals at 7% [fit], let's think of him being at 100% He was the best acquisition that we brought to the club because we are fully aware of his qualities and he's paying back in terms of getting goals for the club."

The Amakhosi mentor is convinced Castillo will also get even better with time as he's still trying to acclimatise and familiarise himself with the SA league.

"By the way, it was only his third game in SA and there's still more to come out of him because he appears to be a very intelligent midfielder. He still has to adjust to weather conditions in SA and also the understanding of the type of opponents we play against,'' Ntseki said.

Chiefs' next clash is against TS Galaxy in the league at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday (3pm).