Chiefs eyeing top spot
GOOD RUN: SOLINAS’ MEN TRAVEL TO HIGHLANDS PARK IN CONFIDENT MOOD
September was a good month for Kaizer Chiefs as they had a 100% winning record in the Absa Premiership, and their fans will hope for more of the same this month. The three wins took Amakhosi to third on the standings and one point behind leaders Orlando Pirates.
Giovanni Solinas’ side could, however, jump to the top tonight should they beat Highlands Park, who they meet in an Absa Premiership match at Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa (7.30pm).
Chiefs midfielder George Maluleka said nothing less than three points would be enough for them. This is Chiefs’ first game after a week’s break.
“It has to be three points. Of course, I don’t take anything away from our opponents, but we want to continue our winning run,” said the 29-year-old Tembisa-born player.
The Glamour Boys looked like a side they were a few years ago last month as they played some flashy football and scored freely. In three games they scored eight and conceded just one which was a big improvement from the leaky side they were early in the season.
The only blemish Amakhosi had in September was the 1-0 defeat to SuperSport United which knocked them out of the MTN8.
But all that is water under the bridge now and the focus is on continuing with the good league run and collecting points.
In Highlands, Chiefs will encounter a very stubborn side who went 29 games without defeat before Free State Stars brought their run to an end, winning 1-0 just over a week ago.
Highlands had not lost since September last year and it was the first defeat under Owen da Gama.
“They are a good side. It’s always difficult against them. They are fighters. They also have a very experienced coach in Owen da Gama,” added Maluleka.
“We just need to keep our focus and be mentally strong. We have now won three games in a row and that has given us a lot of faith. We want to build on that.”
Amakhosi will, meanwhile, play their game against Polokwane City at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban behind closed doors as part of the punishment meted out for their supporters’ behaviour at the same venue after this season’s Nedbank Cup semifinal defeat against Free State Stars.
The Premier Soccer League’s Disciplinary Committee has ordered Chiefs to play two home games in Durban without any supporters. A chastened Manchester United head into tonight’s Uefa Champions League fixture against Valencia with head coach Jose Mourinho under intense pressure to deliver on the field following a number of bad results and tension at the club.
The United coach has been receiving bad press in the last couple of weeks, and more recently, his spat with midfielder Paul Pogba at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground has been making waves all over the world.
Following that incident, the team lost 3-1 to West Ham in the English Premiership on Saturday and they were earlier in the week knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Derby County in the third round.
Valencia, meanwhile, are looking to brush away a bad spell that saw them miss out on Europe’s top competition for three seasons.
Their start in La Liga has not been promising, but going into this tie, the Spanish side should be able to collect maximum points at Old Trafford because of the strife at the club.