Magesi FC head coach, Clinton Larsen, has outlined his plan to stun Kaizer Chiefs ahead of their upcoming Betway Premiership clash at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. Kick-off is at 19h30 on Wednesday night.
The Limpopo outfit hosts Amakhosi in Polokwane on Wednesday in its sixth league game. The team has started the season with two draws, two losses, and one win.
The newly promoted side, currently 12th in the league, has already caused a stir by defeating Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup. Larsen believes his team can replicate this performance against another Soweto giant whose recent form includes successive league losses to Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United.
They play a side that has lost against Mamelodi Sundowns [2-1] and SuperSport United [1-0]. Those two results sandwich an encouraging 4-0 defeat of Matsatsantsa in the Carling Cup. Chiefs are currently ninth, having played four games in the league.
Larsen, known for his pragmatic approach, believes his opponents on Wednesday night have a solid squad and can’t be underestimated.
“It’s a tough game,” Larsen told FARPost. “When you look at Chiefs’ performance against SuperSport United, they were ruthless. They have quality players in every position, from Njabulo Blom, [Rushwin] Dortley, [Ranga] Chivaviro and Yusuf Maart. It’s a team filled with so much quality.”
HOW MAGESI FC COACH CLINTON LARSEN INTENDS TO STUN KAIZER CHIEFS
However, Larsen isn’t intimidated by Chiefs’ squad, emphasising the importance of hard work and discipline to counter their “star-studded” lineup. He believes Magesi can compete with the big boys if they can outwork them.
“As Magesi, all we’re looking for is an honest performance from the team; it’s a disciplined performance to make sure that we make life uncomfortable for these superstars.
“The only way to do that is to work your socks off. We need to run more than they do and tackle more than they do. Arrive at their box more than they do ours. If we do those things consistently well, we’ll always have a chance to win football matches.”
The Magesi coach stressed the importance of basic football principles: “We’re not asking our players to do anything extraordinary. It’s about the simple things, like working hard, making tackles, and winning the ball back. If we can do those things consistently, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.”
While Magesi may be the underdogs, Larsen insists they won’t go down without a fight. They will rely on hard work, discipline and determination to upset the odds to win a valuable victory against Chiefs.
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