Chiefs coach Solinas confident his team will be ready for ‘derby’ knockout semi
EMBATTLED Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas is not fazed by facing Orlando Pirates in the semifinals of the Telkom Knockout after he was outmuscled in round one when these two Soweto giants met in a PSL showdown last week.
Chiefs advanced to the last four following their 1-0 victory over SuperSport United in Durban on Sunday.
Ramahlwe Mphahlele netted the winner for Amakhosi as they set up the date with their arch-rivals, Orlando Pirates, in what should be a humdinger of a match.
The defending champions, Bidvest Wits will face Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The semifinals will be played on the weekend of the 24th of November.
Pirates recently humbled Chiefs in the Soweto Derby as they collected the maximum points following a 2-1 win at FNB Stadium.
Prior to the game, Rhulani Mokwena, the assistant coach at Pirates, questioned the credentials of Solinas – and that gamesmanship worked perfectly for the Buccaneers.
Solinas is confident his team can avenge their league derby defeat to Pirates when next they meet.
“I repeat, if my team play and perform like today (against SuperSport United), I have no fear (to come up against any team). You can’t predict the derby.
“But now in this derby we are more confident because the fitness of key players is improving. The injured players have recovered. When we have the whole squad available it is a different story, “Solinas said.
The final of the TKO will be played at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on December 8.
“It is going to be a difficult game because a derby is a derby. Pirates is a stronger team but if my team perform like today, I have no fear to face any team,” Solinas added.
The last time the two teams met in a knockout competition was back in 2015 in the final of the MTN8.
Amakhosi emerged winners thanks to a well-taken header by Tefu Mashamaite.
Both sides are looking to end their barren run of trophies. Pirates haven’t lifted silverware since winning the Nedbank Cup in 2014, while Amakhosi are searching for their first trophy in three years.
But before these two face off in the TKO they have to pay attention to improve their log standings.
“Now we need to focus on the next game because there’s no time to recover. Wednesday we have another game. The position of Chiefs on the log (7th) is not good. We need to improve our position because we are Chiefs and Chiefs play football to win,” Solinas elaborated.
Tomorrow, Amakhosi will welcome Black Leopards at FNB Stadium in a PSL tussle at 7.30pm.
Chiefs have 14 points after 11 matches and are currently six points behind the leaders, Bidvest Wits who have 20 points from 10 matches.
Chiefs will be looking to improve their league form, as they suffered two defeats in their previous two matches in the league – against Pirates and Polokwane City.