By Michael Madyira
Kaizer Chiefs will be treading on dangerous ground when they host bottom-placed Marumo Gallants in Saturday’s Premier Soccer League tie at FNB Stadium.
Making this a high-stakes affair, none of the two sides can afford to drop points at this stage of the season, with the Soweto giants chasing a top-two finish, while Bahlanani ba Ntwa are fighting for dear life.
If fourth-placed Amakhosi fail to win, they face the grim prospect of losing track of Orlando Pirates and SuperSport, their closest challengers for a top-two position.
Gallants are also desperate to vacate the basement.
This is a match Amakhosi defender Zitha Kwinika knows they risk slipping up and has issued an upset alert.
“Considering where they [Gallants] are and also seeing that they got the result against Royal AM [on Wednesday], they are showing they are fighting for their lives,” said Kwinika.
“For us, it is a matter of us being on our game and not taking it lightly. Sometimes the log is not a true reflection of a team’s performance.”
Gallants have become a strong team lately, reaching the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals following an impressive run in that competition.
They have also avoided defeats in their last four league games, including the midweek 3-1 win over Royal AM.
What could also make Saturday’s match a fierce collision is that Chiefs are enjoying a run of four straight league victories.
“Winning is part of our culture; the more you win the more you get used to it,” Kwinika said.
“We are in the process of finding consistency in winning, which was missing before, and the more consistent we get at winning, the better it will be for the team.
“We have won the last four league games and there is no stopping there for us. They [Gallants] won 3-1 in their last game, but we will train with the right intensity and be ready for Saturday.”
The last meeting between Chiefs and Gallants ended 1-1 in September 2022.
Pictured above: Zitha Kwinika, Siyabonga Ngezana and Christian Saile Basomboli at training
Image source: Kaizer Chiefs
