Thankfully we got through that game with out losing concentration and ending up on the wrong side of the score sheet. Nevertheless I felt we still wasted a lot of opportunities and we could have won the game, which would have been good for our morale going into Saturday’s game. The only casualty from Wednesday’s game is Scara Ngobese he picked up his third yellow card of the season, which has ruled him out of Saturday’s big game.

Getting down the Soweto derby the game that has been the talk of the country all the all week- long. It is a known fact that Pirates are the form team at the moment they have been playing good football and have a well knit team. We enter Saturdays game as underdogs with out any pressure as all the pressure will be on Pirates to perform, which will suit us as we will be able to put on a show with out any thing holding us down.

Pirates' strong points obviously lie in attack and midfield with the usual suspects in the form of Benedict Vilakazi, Joseph Makhanya and the talented Gift Leremi doing all the work. Up front Lelo Mbele, Lebohang Mokoena and Phumodzo Manenzhe having been able to find the back of the net at will, this trio has been backed up by Vilakazi who has contributed with a few vitals strikes as he attacks from midfield.

Whereas Pirates have been fluent in the middle and in the last half of the field, they have been undisciplined at the back. Having watched their last game against Golden Arrows one will see that their weakness lies at the back, they have conceded a goal a game, which does show that they are very vulnerable at the back.

For us the key to winning on Saturday will be to be as disciplined at the back as we have been during the season so far, be steady and handle their attacks and if can go through the first half an hour being tight at the back we would have won half the battle. We also need to take our opportunities that we create early on and not be as wasteful as we have been until now, we have had a lengthy discussion about it and we have been working on our finishing. Like I have said before we need to try and score early on and make the opposition work hard for the rest of the game.

When you approach a game like this there is no need to motivate your players because they are ready mentally and physically by the amount of effort they have put in during the week in training. Saturday’s game will be highly entertaining and in my opinion it will be a high scoring game we will not be holding back, from the way pirates have been playing they won’t be either. Pirates are the form team we are the underdogs but I know that our supporters will help us get through and win this one.

This is to a victorious weekend, come to the stadium and practice fair play with opposition supporters.

Yours in love and peace

Ernst Middendorp


Kaizer Chiefs Head Coach