Da Cruz says pressure will not distract Kaizer Chiefs in Red Arrows decider

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz says pressure is a constant for his team and will not affect their preparations for the CAF Champions League second-leg tie against Red Arrows.

The Soweto club must overturn a 1-0 deficit after losing to the Zambian side at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The decisive return fixture will be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday, 23 October, with a place in this season’s group stage at stake.

Da Cruz said the expectations surrounding the match were no different from those his technical team faced every day.

“The pressure is always there, we are under pressure every day, that’s not a problem,” said Da Cruz.

The Chiefs coach acknowledged that his side had not been efficient enough in the attacking third during the first leg. He said the team needed to create greater pressure when going forward if they were to turn the tie around.

The South African side now need to score in Durban without conceding if they are to progress to the group stage. Da Cruz believes a more effective attacking performance can give them the opportunity to overturn the narrow deficit.

“We just have a lack of efficiency; we must put more [pressure] when we attack. We just need to put more work, work on that and it will turn on our side,” he concluded.