Ashley Du Preez has made a bold claim about Kaizer Chiefs’ prospects in the upcoming Betway Premiership and cup competitions, as the team prepares for its opening game of the new season.
Amakhosi attacker Du Preez was speaking with the club’s media department on Thursday as the Soweto giants are set to kick-off their 2025/26 Premiership season this weekend.
Under the guidance of coach Nasreddine Nabi, Chiefs are getting ready for what promises to be an exciting season, starting with a challenging match against Stellenbosch FC at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
An optimistic Du Preez stated that he believes Chiefs can win the league title, which Mamelodi Sundowns have dominated for the past eight seasons.
The player’s confidence follows Chiefs’ pre-season camp in the Netherlands, where they played against what Du Preez described as “high-level teams” that prepared them well for the new campaign.
Amakhosi had a mixed 2024/25 season under Nabi. While they ended their decade-long trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Cup, their league performance was poor, as they finished outside the top eight for the second season in a row.
ASHLEY DU PREEZ: ‘WE CAN COMPETE AND WIN THE LEAGUE’
“For me personally, I couldn’t wait for the league to start, everyone to start on a clean pitch and write history,” said Du Preez. “But for us as a club, I think we can start competing for the league with the first game.
“The first game is a tough one. We’re playing Stellenbosch, and I think we can compete for everything this year, including the league and cup games. We just have to, from day one, be 100 per cent sure that we can compete and win the league.”
Seemingly pumped up, Du Preez and his teammates—including new signings Ethan Chislett, Nkanyiso Shinga, Flavio Silva, Thabiso Monyane, Paseka Mako, and Siphesihle Ndlovu—are eager to restore Chiefs’ former glory. The Soweto giants’ return to continental football in the CAF Confederation Cup also adds to the sense of renewed purpose and ambition.
“The pre-season friendlies we played in the Netherlands were amazing, and we learnt a lot from them, and I think we can take that experience to the league,” added the attacker. “The way we played against the highest level teams in the Netherlands. It was a good pre-season.
“We as a team look good together. In camp, we have energy, we have the same mindset in terms of what we want to achieve this season, so we just need to take that pre-season into the league and play every game on the highest level and compete. So I’m really excited for this season, and I’m sure all the players are excited as well…”
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