The two teams will meet in a potential explosive fixture on Saturday and both have a lot to play for, with a Champions League spot seemingly up for grabs.

“Chiefs should not have problems beating Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium this coming weekend,” said the upbeat former goalkeeper, who kept guard at goal for Kaizer Chiefs for more than a decade.

“It is very important though, for the guys to beat Mpumalanga Black Aces before they can start thinking about the derby,” warned Banks.

“It can be very difficult for players to think about the midweek fixture ahead of the Soweto derby, but they are professionals and they know that picking up all three points against Aces will bring back confidence in the team. In my opinion, the Christmas break affected the team a lot, because the players were really on song before that, winning four games in December,” said Banks, speaking to kaizerchiefs.com at the Club’s headquarters in Naturena on Monday morning.

The legendary goalkeeper, who also had a short stint as joint coach with Elkiam “Pro” Khumalo (Doctor Khumalo’s father) back in 1982-83, also backed Vladimir Vermezovic on introducing young players against Golden Arrows last Tuesday.

“It is very important that the coach introduces the youngsters now and they proved last week that they can deliver for the Club.

This will also give the coach an idea on how he can use the young players next season. It was a very good decision and I am sure the Club will definitely reap rewards soon on this policy,” he added.