Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef has echoed sentiments recently expressed by Cedric Kaze, insisting that targets should remain unchanged regardless of circumstances, as Amakhosi prepare for a high-stakes Soweto Derby clash against Orlando Pirates.
Chiefs face Pirates at a sold-out FNB Stadium on Sunday in a Betway Premiership encounter that carries significant weight in the title race. Despite the magnitude of the fixture, Ben Youssef was quick to play down any notion that the derby should alter the club’s broader objectives, a stance that aligns closely with Kaze’s recent remarks about maintaining consistency in targets throughout the season.
Amakhosi head into the clash on a six-game unbeaten run, sitting third on the table with 46 points from 24 matches. Pirates, meanwhile, lead the standings with 58 points from 25 outings, narrowly ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand.
While acknowledging the significance of the derby, Ben Youssef stressed that the fundamentals remain unchanged.
WHAT BEN YOUSSEF SAID AHEAD OF SOWETO DERBY
“It’s only three points. If we win, will they give us the title? Or give us six points that would change something? But for us, as I said, it’s a league game, yes, it’s a derby, who will be the first team in Soweto will be them or us, but as I said, it’s a league game.”
Ben Youssef reiterated that Chiefs’ targets were set at the start of the campaign and remain firmly in place, regardless of Sunday’s outcome. His remarks echo Kaze’s recent position that the target remains a third-place finish.
“Our target is clear from the first of the season; we don’t have to change our target. You win one game, you start discussing winning PSL, you lose one game, you start to destroy everything. The target is the same; we discussed that we have to be in the group stage in CAF. We did it, unfortunately, in the last moments; we did not qualify. It was about goal difference.”
The Tunisian mentor believes they are on track to fulfil their pre-season objectives.
“We said that minimum, we have to be number three in the PSL, and we are there now. That’s the most important thing to think about when it comes to our performance. We don’t have to make it big or small, this game is a derby, it’s a big, very important game, a crucial game, but finally it’s three points.”
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