Chiefs aim to down yet a giant
Players buoyed by Downs win as they face the Bucs
Not to be outdone, Bucs mentor Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic was equally confident as he engaged the media on what the club’s supporters can expect.
“With respect to my colleague [Komphela], but I wouldn’t be sitting here if I don’t believe in what we are doing. I also believe [we will win] 2-0,” he said.
Unlike Komphela, the Serbian will be involved in the Soweto derby for only the second time. During his first brief stint at Pirates in 2006, he met Chiefs once and they played to a 1-1 draw.
“We are ready for the challenge in front of us. The game of this magnitude has tension and pressure, but I would like for all the tension and pressure to stay with me and the technical team,” Sredojevic added. Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker feels his beleaguered team has turned adversity into opportunity as they eye the double over fellow juggernauts Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
Amakhosi, it appears, have taken a nothing-to-lose attitude as they prepare to face their archrivals Pirates at FNB Stadium tomorrow (3.30pm).
“The thing about us at Chiefs is that we can never give up just because the results are not going our way. You can’t just throw your hands and think that will solve our problems,” Parker said.
“It was a good feeling to win against Sundowns and we will continue to give our all to ensure the result goes our way against Pirates.”
Parker was relieved to score his first goal in 20 games in the win over Sundowns. “Any striker will tell you it’s an unbelievable feeling. That’s what you want to repeat every match day.”
Their opponents, the Buccaneers, will look to snap their recent slump after two draws and a loss in their last three games.
On Wednesday they were held by bottom-of-the-table Platinum Stars to a 1-1 draw after goals from Thabo Matlaba and Bongi Ntuli.
Matlaba expects a good response from the Sea Robbers in the derby. “As a team we will put up a strong effort to put a smile on the faces of our fans. We are up for the challenge against Chiefs. As Pirates we have a duty to win games,” he said.
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