Nkosingiphile Ngcobo has shared his verdict on the Kaizer Chiefs squad ahead of their opening game of the new 2025/26 season in the Betway Premiership against Stellenbosch FC.
The highly anticipated encounter is set to take place at the sold-out Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 17:30.
However, Chiefs will be without head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who travelled to Tunisia on Friday evening to be with his wife after a critical accident. In his absence, first assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef and second assistant coach Cedric Kaze will take charge on the bench.
Despite the setback, Ngcobo remains optimistic. The midfielder is raring to go and has praised the positive energy and mentality within the squad. He emphasised that Amakhosi are approaching the new campaign with confidence rather than over-excitement, stating that the squad is well-balanced.
‘NEW SIGNINGS BRING A LOT OF QUALITY’: NGCOBO ON CHIEFS SQUAD
Ngcobo also believes the new signings—Ethan Chislett, Nkanyiso Shinga, Flavio Silva, Thabiso Monyane, Paseka Mako, and Siphesihle Ndlovu—bring quality to the team. The 25-year-old playmaker added that the new players have been made to feel at home at Chiefs, and he is looking forward to working with them to win matches.
“The league is starting soon and we are focused and ready,” he said. “Our energy is high and we going into the season with a positive mentality, not over-excited but confident. We want to get into a rhythm that we can maintain throughout the season.”
He went on to declare: “Our squad is well-balanced. I think our new signings bring a lot of quality and will help us a lot. We have made them feel at home here at Chiefs and are looking forward to working together to win matches.”
Meanwhile, Ngcobo also revealed that the excitement of winning their first major silverware in a decade has given the team a taste for more success.
“We won the Nedbank Cup last season and qualified to play in the CAF Confederation Cup this season, which is inspiring us to start on the front foot. We are motivated to build on what we achieved last season and do our best in every competition we are involved in.”
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