Chiefs wary of a desperate Ajax
MOLANGOANE: THEY WILL THROW EVERYTHING AT US
Sibongiseni Gumbi
Having endured yet another poor season, Kaizer Chiefs will only be happy to have the curtain fall on the current campaign today after their match against a desperate Ajax Cape Town at Cape Town Stadium (3pm).
There is technically nothing that Amakhosi are playing for in this game except for a third-place finish which gets them into a continental competition next year. The Naturena-based side are however known to be not too keen – or at least their displays suggest – on continental football.
But make no mistake; the match is no dead rubber – not by a long shot. With the Urban Warriors desperate for a win, they are bound to bring their A-game this afternoon. A win will save Muhsin Ertugral’s side from falling into the promotion/relegation playoffs. This is perhaps why Amakhosi midfielder Joseph Molangoane believes this will be a tough finish for his side.
“This is going to be a tough match. Ajax are fighting for dear life and they will throw everything at us in this one. It is normal to face teams who raise their game whenever they play against us. You can only imagine this time with so much at stake,” said Molangoane.
The 30-year-old admitted that they want to finish this season so they can look forward to a fresh start next season. Chiefs will have a new coach for their next campaign as Steve Komphela resigned following a string of poor results and fan riots.
Patrick Mabedi was installed on an interim basis until the end of the season.
“We have experienced a tough season. But be that as it may, we have a job to do. We want to close this chapter on a high. A good closure will give the team a boost going into the new season. We’ve worked hard in the past two weeks to sharpen a number of areas in our play, especially the finishing part of our game.
“The coach has instilled a few elements already in a short space of time. All that’s needed is to produce the results in the match. We have worked hard to prepare for this game. We want to give our supporters something to cheer about. We also want to go back to continental club competition next season,” said Molangoane.