Ahead of the Soweto Derby, Kaizer Chiefs veteran midfielder Keagan Dolly has vowed not to stand in front of the media and “lie to look good on camera.”
Chiefs and Pirates meet on Saturday at the FNB Stadium at 15h30 with maximum points at stake.
The Buccaneers are in fifth place, having amassed 30 points from 19 games. Their crosstown rivals, Chiefs, are just a point adrift at sixth place.
Both Soweto giants have fallen far behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who are on 42 points despite having played only 16 games.
Pirates and Chiefs are pushing to secure a place in the CAF Champions League. South Africa sends two representatives to the CAF interclub competition—the league winners and runners-up.
With Stellenbosch FC, Cape Town City FC and SuperSport United all on 31 points, the second-place race is still very open. Dolly is confident ahead of the upcoming Derby, emphasising the team’s desire to extend their winning streak and climb the league table.
“I think with this particular Derby, it’s a bit different. Both teams want to win. They want the points so that they can climb higher up the log,” Dolly said.
KEAGAN DOLLY: “I’M STILL NOT AFRAID OF THEM”
“For us personally as Kaizer Chiefs, we want to continue our streak, the way we’ve been defending, not conceding many goals, but also on the other side convert the chances we create.
“I think this weekend, the most important thing is for us to go there and try to get all three points, focus on our journey in the league and end off the season as high as we can.”
The ultimate goal, according to Dolly, is securing a Champions League spot for next season.
“We want to play in the Champions League next season. It’s not only this weekend. All the remaining games, we wanna win every game we play and see where we end on the log.”
Dolly boasts an impressive derby record, winning four out of five encounters. However, he emphasises the importance of focusing on the present.
“Things changed. We lost the last derby, but there’s no way I’m going to stand here and tell you that I’m afraid of them. It’s football.
“I’m not going to be lying to you guys to look good on camera. I’m still not afraid of them, as should their players be. It’s a football match, we should go out and compete.
“As it stands, I’ve played five derbies and won four. Nothing is going to change; it’s facts. But the most important thing is for us not to focus on Pirates and what happened in the past.”
Amakhosi fans will hope that the team’s recent streak will translate into a crucial derby win and a strong push for Champions League qualification.
“We’re on a good run; we’ve played eight and conceded one goal. For us, it’s to start converting our chance,” Dolly concluded.
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