Eagles eye Chiefs upset
GLADAFRICA Championship side, Royal Eagles, find themselves having to plot a way to overcome a team with the biggest following in the country, who are favourites to win the Premiership title and who hold the record for the most cup competitions won in South Africa.
The KwaZulu-Natal side have players such as former PSL campaigner Thato Tlhone in their line-up who can help to calm the players’ nerves. The former Bidvest Wits and Free State Stars defender warned that an upset may be on the cards when Eagles meet Kaizer Chiefs in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup at FNB Stadium on Saturday at 6pm.
“We don’t believe that we will beat Chiefs but we are confident that we will beat them and surprise the whole country,” said Tlhone confidently.
“The pressure is on Chiefs. They are on top of the log in the top flight, they have scored more goals, they have won more cups, they are playing a bottom of the table team and everyone is expecting them to beat us easily but that is not going to be the case.
“We’ve are ready for this game. This can be a turning point of our season. Beating Chiefs can go a long way in determining our fate in the (GladAfrica) league. That’s why we have to beat them. For us, this is more like a cup final. We will give our best because you may never know who is watching,” he added.
Eagles are at the foot of GladAfrica Championship with 14 points. They have won just two games in the league.
“We don’t have anything to lose. We’ve done well in the past two games. We drew against Real Kings away from home in the derby and then we lost narrowly to Ajax Cape Town in the league. We are improving as a team and we will show that when we play Chiefs this weekend,” Tlhone elaborated.
Match winner Khama Billiat is set to return for Amakhosi after his long lay-off.
“We are not afraid of them. I’ve played against Khama and Leonardo Castro before. The only guy, I haven’t faced is Samir Nurkovic but they have two legs like us. So, there’s nothing to worry about. We will match them on the day,” Tlhone said.