Mthethwa calls on Kaizer Chiefs to turn league ambitions into points

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Sibongiseni “Ox” Mthethwa says his side cannot afford another dropped result when they meet Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership on Sunday.

The match at Mbombela Stadium, which kicks off at 3pm, comes after Arrows knocked Chiefs out of the MTN8 in the quarter-finals last month.

Amakhosi are third in the table, seven points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, although Sundowns have played two more matches. Chiefs drew 1-1 away to Polokwane City last Saturday, increasing the importance of their next league fixture.

Mthethwa believes Chiefs must respond immediately if they are to challenge for top spot.

“We made some costly mistakes in the last game, so this is a perfect chance for us to rectify that. We are competing for the first spot, so we can’t afford to drop points in two consecutive games,” he said.

The midfielder rejected the idea that Chiefs would approach the game with revenge in mind after their MTN8 defeat. Instead, he said the focus was on securing three points and improving their position in the standings.

“We’ve played against Arrows already this season, so our mindset has changed towards them. We are not aiming for revenge, but we are going there to fight. We want to climb up the log standings, so we want nothing less than three points on Sunday.”

Mthethwa also dismissed any concern about playing at Mbombela rather than a traditional home venue. He said Chiefs’ support across the country meant the team always felt comfortable, regardless of where a match was played.

“It doesn’t matter where we play, the most important thing is three points. The most important thing for us as Kaizer Chiefs is to dominate each and every game we play regardless of the venue,” he said.

“We feel at home everywhere…we always have that home ground advantage. We want to make our supporters happy by bagging three points.”

Chiefs will be without captain Brandon Petersen, who suffered a knee injury in training on Tuesday morning. The goalkeeper is expected to miss four to six weeks, while striker Wandile Duba faces about two weeks out after sustaining a hip and groin injury.

Renaldo Leaner is expected to replace Petersen in goal against Arrows.

Upcoming fixtures

On Saturday, Bay face Sekhukhune at Princess Magogo Stadium at 3pm, followed by Polokwane against AmaZulu at Old Peter Mokaba at 5.30pm. Kruger play Stellenbosch at Mbombela at 8pm.

Sunday’s fixtures are Arrows against Chiefs at Mbombela at 3pm, Milford against Durban at Sugar Ray at 3pm, Gallants against Pirates at Royal Bafokeng at 3pm, and Galaxy against Chippa at Solomon Mahlangu at 5.30pm.

In the Fifa Intercontinental Cup on Saturday, Sundowns play Al Ahli Saudi at Loftus Versfeld at 3pm.