Kaizer Chiefs welcome home advantage in Carling Knockout tie against TS Galaxy

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz says the Carling Knockout Cup draw against TS Galaxy gives his side a favourable opportunity to reach the quarter-finals, with the Round of 16 match to be played at home.

Da Cruz acknowledged that TS Galaxy will provide a difficult challenge, but said the draw could have been tougher as Chiefs prepare for a demanding period of the season.

The match falls between Chiefs’ CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie against Zambia’s Red Arrows and the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership.

“It’s a good draw because we’ll be at home,” Da Cruz told the club’s website. “It was very important to play at home given that it is between our CAF game [CAF Confederation Cup, second preliminary round against Red Arrows of Zambia] and the Soweto Derby [against Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership].”

Chiefs have already been knocked out of one competition this season after a first-round MTN8 defeat by Golden Arrows. That result extended their wait to win the Wafa Wafa competition beyond a decade, with their most recent triumph coming under Stuart Baxter in 2014/15.

Their recent record in the Carling Knockout Cup also highlights the challenge ahead. The last time Amakhosi reached the final was in 2015/16, when they were beaten 3-1 by Mamelodi Sundowns in the competition, then known as the Telkom Knockout Cup.

Da Cruz said his team would approach TS Galaxy with respect and use the available information to develop a plan for the tie.

“They will be difficult opponents, and we expect a tough game but it’s also not the worst draw we could have got,” he said.

The Chiefs head coach also warned that the preparation period would be short. The club will have only four days to get ready for the cup match after playing the home leg of their CAF Confederation Cup tie against Red Arrows.

“We respect them and will prepare accordingly,” Da Cruz said. “We’ll know at the end of the match whether it was a good draw or not. We will only have four days to prepare for it after our home leg in the CAF tie against Red Arrows.”

Chiefs have already conducted analysis of TS Galaxy and will now convert that work into a specific approach for the match.

“We have analysis on TS Galaxy, and we will come up with our own game-plan that will hopefully take us through to the next round,” Da Cruz added.