Will Chiefs exorcise 2019 demons?

I see this as payback time Wilson “Dr Ntjebe” Tshabalala – Chiefs supporter

“The game of Chiefs and TS Galaxy on Saturday will be a door-die (affair). If you remember well, TS Galaxy inflicted pain on all of us Kaizer Chiefs supporters more than two years ago and we haven’t forgotten about that. Saturday will serve as an opportunity for us to finally forget about what happened in 2019. I see this as payback time kind of a situation. There is no way that TS Galaxy can beat us again. FNB Stadium has a pitch that is big enough and there will be no place for TS Galaxy to hide. Chiefs will be all over that pitch and there will be no loopholes for TS Galaxy. Looking at the Chiefs squad, you can see that in each and every department, there is enough cover. I am appealing to TS Galaxy to come and respect us on Saturday because if they don’t, probably because they will still be thinking about what they did against us in 2019, we are going to give them a 3-0 hiding. I am definitely sure that Stuart Baxter is the right man for the job and he previously won us the Nedbank Cup trophy. It’s just that some of the supporters are short-tempered and are not patient. What I have noticed is that some of the supporters who talk about Baxter not being the right man for the job are not Kaizer Chiefs supporters. They are supporters of other clubs and they know that if Baxter were to leave, we would be negatively affected as a team. Baxter will be the man to bring us another trophy after six to seven years of drought.”

I give this one to Chiefs Junior Khanye – Former Chiefs midfielder

“This will be one of the good games for both teams to start 2022 and what is more exciting is that it is a Nedbank Cup clash. What is disappointing

is that Chiefs didn’t sign any players and one would have expected them to bring in a player like Sipho Mbule. I would have also loved to see Teboho Mokoena join the club. Hopefully, we will see Itumeleng Khune back in goals because he is one player I have been crying about. I am happy that the boy reminded us during the DStv Compact Cup of what a good player he is. The boy is one of the best goalkeepers in Africa and he will play a pivotal role in helping Chiefs to do well in this competition if he can be given a chance. I am looking forward to an interesting game, although TS Galaxy have not been doing well and we need to be realistic about that. For that reason, I think Chiefs will win this game and proceed to the next round. I do understand that Chiefs previously lost to Galaxy in the final of this same competition, but this is a different ball game as back then Galaxy were under coach Dan ‘Dance’ Malesela and he is now with Marumo Gallants. Also, most of the players from that team are no longer with the club, although I know that even the players that are still there will be motivated to play against Chiefs in a cup game while knowing what happened in that cup final. I give this one to Chiefs to advance, although they might struggle going forward in the upcoming games. Winning this trophy will be difficult for Chiefs because even if they have some quality in their team, their coach Stuart Baxter has struggled to find his combinations and the team is not balanced. Baxter’s defensive approach will cost him going forward in this competition, although I still maintain that they have a chance against Galaxy. Yes, Chiefs do score goals, but it’s not like they create them, it’s because of the individual brilliance of players like Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly. Chiefs invite opponents to come at them and they don’t threaten, and that is going to cost them going forward.”

Rockets let loose! TS Galaxy could surprise them Ludwe Mpakumpaku – Former Galaxy goalkeeper

“Leading up to the final of the Nedbank Cup against Chiefs, it was a huge moment for all of us who were at the club at the time. We were a team from the NFD and were going to play in the final against a PSL team and not just any PSL team but Kaizer Chiefs and that made it to be so huge. Chiefs had been struggling to win trophies for a long time and that made us not to be under pressure and they were the ones feeling the pressure to win. We went to the game knowing that pressure would be on them and for us, it was about just going there to enjoy the game. Prior to the game, our coach, Dan Malesela, brought us former players who’d been there before and done that to motivate us. I’m talking about guys like Roger Feutmba and others, and that helped us to calm our nerves. But as much as those people said we should not focus on the fact that we’d be playing in the final, it was difficult not to think about it because of how huge the game was going to be. I remember when we walked into the Moses Mabhida Stadium pitch for our pitch inspection, it was so difficult for us to hear each other as the stadium was packed to capacity. Some people were shouting my name to say that their team was going to put four goals past me and things like that. Yes, we were used to playing in front of a packed Kameelrivier Stadium, but that stadium is way smaller than Moses Mabhida Stadium, which is a World Cup stadium. We were not scared to play against Chiefs, and we knew that we could beat them, and our strategy worked in that game as a possession-based team. Current form becomes irrelevant when it comes to cup games. Chiefs might be doing better now based on current form and in terms of their log standings, but I feel like TS Galaxy could surprise them. TS Galaxy will be playing as underdogs again.”

We always enjoy being the underdogs Minenhle Mkhize – TS Galaxy Media Officer

“The preparations have gone well, and this was a much-needed break for our team, especially with the new technical team coming in during the season. The break has given them adequate time to have their sort of a pre-season. For us, it was a blessing in disguise as it has also given our new players time to settle in and to learn about the culture and philosophy of the club. This has been a great time for TS Galaxy doing this mini pre-season camp and we have a clean bill of health in terms of our players, and I think the coach will have a selection conundrum in selecting his first XI because everyone is eager to play and everyone wants to perform for the team, which is a nice headache for the coach. The players are very confident that they could get a very good result against Chiefs. TS Galaxy always strive on big occasions, if you remember when we defied the odds in 2019 and beat Chiefs in the final of the Nedbank Cup. You must remember that last season we were the first side to beat Swallows FC after they went on an 18-match unbeaten run, and we were able to beat Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium. The boys are more than ready and they don’t need any motivation because they know the importance of winning this particular game. I know that someone might ask which one is the priority between the league and the Nedbank Cup, and for us the priority is winning because winning becomes a habit and we need to keep that momentum going. The boys are showing a lot of hunger at training and we will just go out there and play. Chiefs are the favourites because they are a successful team in the history of this tournament and we’ll just go there as underdogs. We always enjoy being the underdogs. I am gunning for my boys to go to FNB Stadium and cause another upset. Royal AM went there and caused an upset when no one gave them a chance and Richards Bay FC did the same.”

The men to keep an eye on… Kaizer Chiefs Keagan Dolly

Keagan Dolly is arguably Kaizer Chiefs’ best player at the moment judging by his performances in the first round of the season. In his first campaign with the club, having joined during pre-season after coming back from a rocky stint with Montpellier in France, the pint-sized attacker has been the Soweto giants’ go-to guy for goals and assists, collecting a few individual awards for his efforts. It’s come as a bit of a surprise how well he has done, considering he joined the club having not been in the best of shapes after being out injured for a lengthy period. With his ability to cut open any defence with his pinpoint passes to find a teammate in a good position, Dolly will be key on Saturday. He was lacklustre in the DStv Compact Cup, lending credence to suggestions he, like a few other big-name players selected for the tournament, was playing on first gear in fear of getting back to club commitments injured. But a cup game of this nature should see the best of a player Dolly!

Khama Billiat

The Zimbabwean has been livelier since Dolly’s arrival and the two have since enjoyed a fruitful reunion, having played together at Mamelodi Sundowns earlier in their careers. Their mere presence is enough to lift the team, while sending shivers down the spines of opposition defences, and it should be no different at FNB Stadium this weekend. The fact that Billiat has retired from international football, and was therefore not part of the recent Afcon in Cameroon, means he will be feeling fresher and raring to go. If Galaxy give him too much space and time on the ball, or backtrack when he is in possession in the final third, then they are in for a tough afternoon.

TS Galaxy Wayde Lekay

Despite lacking adequate experience at this stage, as he is in his maiden season in the topflight, the lanky forward has been playing like a seasoned professional and is one of the top performers for TS Galaxy. The 24-year-old scored four goals from six matches before the team went to the December/ January break, although some of his displays have been overshadowed by the fact the team is struggling at the foot of the DStv Premiership table. Lekay also bagged an assist in one of those matches, against Chippa United, and the Rockets will look at him to produce the same kind of performances for a chance to beat Chiefs and advance to the next stage of the Nedbank Cup. He will certainly test the sometimes noticeable frailties of Chiefs’ defensive line-up, depending on who is paired with who in the centre of defence, and the Soweto giants will be left to rue it if they leave him unchecked.

Ethan Brooks

Arguably the most exciting player in the Rockets camp this season. Special talents like Brooks are made for games of this nature, and he will need to bring his A-game if he is not to be suffocated by the Amakhosi midfield that will probably comprise of the likes of Phathutshedzo Nange, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Bernard Parker. Having played a couple of games for Bafana Bafana already and made an impression, the 20-year-old should not be too overwhelmed by the occasion and a great display against one of the biggest clubs in the country will further cement his status as one of the best players in the league and definitely one to watch for the near future.