This weekend, Chippa United will travel to Durban to face Soweto heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday at 5:30pm.
The Chilli Boys’ fortunes appeared to have improved under interim coach Morgan Mammila, who took charge after Daine Klate was fired. However, after winning consecutive games for the first time this season, Chippa have been inactive for about a month due to the international break and the MTN8 Cup week.
As they prepare to face Amakhosi, club captain Roscoe Pietersen believes that not having played top-level football in the past month may be a problem, given that they had been gaining momentum.
“Our preparations are going really well, but the break didn’t come at the right time for us because we had just beaten Marumo Gallants and were coming off back-to-back wins, something the club had not accomplished in quite some time, and we had begun to develop confidence within the squad, so it was quite difficult for us to go four weeks without competitive football,” Pietersen explained.
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The Glamour Boys are in excellent shape. They are now on a seven-game unbeaten streak and have scored 10 goals, with Burundian forward Caleb Bimenyimana loudly proclaiming his arrival.
Pietersen, while cognizant of the threat posed by the Chiefs, was quick to dispel the notion that he and his teammates will approach this match with the only objective of avoiding defeat. He indicated that they are confident in their ability to defeat the Glamour Boys.
“Our strategy is to always compete and play to win. We are also in an upswing at the moment; we simply weren’t playing, but we’ve won two consecutive games, which is really encouraging. I believe now is a fantastic moment to play them (Chiefs),” Pietersen stated.
Against Amakhosi, the Chilli Boys will attempt to improve a terrible record. In their previous six encounters, Chippa have only secured one victory against them. Pietersen states that they have identified the Chiefs’ main players and will pay particular attention to them.
Yes, there are a few players that we will want to keep quiet, but overall they have a well-balanced and experienced team, so it is imperative that we focus on the entire squad if we want to achieve a favorable outcome.
The Glamour Boys are in impressive form. They are on a seven-game unbeaten run and have scored 10 goals, with Burundian striker Caleb Bimenyimana announcing his arrival emphatically.
Pietersen, although wary of the threat Chiefs pose, was quick to squash any assumption that he and his teammates will head into this encounter looking to simply not get beaten, and revealed that they’re confident of having enough quality to take down the Glamour Boys.
“The plan for us is to always compete and play to win. We are also in an uprising at the moment, we just weren’t playing but we’re coming off back to back wins, which is very positive for us. I think it’s a good time to play them (Chiefs),” expressed Pietersen.
The Chilli Boys will be looking to improve on a horrible record against Amakhosi. Chippa have managed just a single victory against them in their last six encounters. Pietersen says that they have identified Chiefs’ key men and will look to pay special attention to them.
“Yes there are one or two players that we will try and point and keep quiet but as a whole they have quite a balanced squad with experience as well so it’s important that we pay attention to the whole team if we want to get a positive result.”