Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler is calling for a return to winning ways when his side faces Kaizer Chiefs in a crucial DStv Premiership clash this weekend.
Seventh-placed Chiefs travel to Cape Town City this weekend for a potentially exciting match in the DStv Premiership. Both sides need points to maintain their CAF Champions League aspirations.
They head into the match in stuttering form, with City winning just one of their last eight league games. Tinkler acknowledged the fickle nature of football and the media’s tendency to focus on short-term results.
On the other hand, the Chiefs are coming off a Soweto Derby loss to crosstown rivals Orlando Pirates. In fact, Amakhosi have struggled recently, winning just one of their last six matches.
However, they remain within reach of the coveted continental competition spots. If they hope to finish the season in the top four, they must bounce back to winning ways. A loss for either team would be a significant setback in their Champions League chase.
WHAT ERIC TINKLER WANTS TO DO AGAINST KAIZER CHIEFS
“Obviously, it’s the world of sport,” he told journalists during a media open day in Cape Town. “You can have two draws, three draws, and then you lose. ‘Oh, you haven’t won in four games’. Or you win, ‘you haven’t lost in four games’. That’s how quickly football can change. That’s the way the media interpret things.”
He stressed the importance of returning to winning ways and believes there is no better team to do it against.
“It’s important for us to try to get back to winning ways. There is no better team to do it against than Kaizer Chiefs.”
With the coaching changes at Naturena, he is convinced Amakhosi are “a different team”. The two teams have already met twice this season. City won the reverse league fixture 1-0 before losing 2-1 in the MTN8 Cup.
“I think they’re a different team than when we played them at the beginning of the season. It’s not going to be easy; it’s going to be tough.”
City has historically held the upper hand, having won five of their last six league encounters against Chiefs.
The match will be played at Athlone Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 PM. Chiefs will be looking to reverse the recent trend and claim victory against their Cape Town rivals.
Meanwhile, due to suspension, Chiefs’ midfielders Yusuf Maart and Edson Castillo will miss the match.
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