Chiefs midfielder Abia Nale is expecting a different approach from Cape outfit Santos when the Amakhosi host them in Telkom Knockout semi-final encounter at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday night.

The Cape side adopted a very defensive system when they defeated Chiefs 1-0 at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg on November 10 during an Absa Premiership game, Nale feels given that Saturday’s game is a Knockout match Santos will not be coming to the interior of the country with intentions to just make up the numbers.

Discussing the upcoming clash against Santos with kaizerchiefs.com Nale said, “it is a different game to the league on the dynamics are different this is a Cup game, there is no second chance if you lose you out, neither team will want to sit back and defend and I don’t expect them to do so. For our part we need to play with the same fervor that we did in our last match against Pirates and if we do that everything will surely work out for us.”

Nale who scored Chiefs opening goal of the tournament during the club’s 2-0 triumph over Amazulu during the round of sixteen further adds that this game is not being viewed by him as a revenge bout for Chiefs losing the recent league clash between the teams.

Of this he explained saying, “as our coach keeps telling us forget about your last game and improve for the next one, even though we lost to Santos last week revenge is not on my mind. We want to win the game not because we lost to them, we are the defending champions it is our desire to retain the cup and we also want to win every game that we play in. That is what is driving us and not revenge.”

For Chiefs to do get one step closer to holding onto to their title and to overcome Santos Nale believes it is going to take another big team effort to ensure that they reach a second successive Telkom Knockout Cup Final.

“We need to go out there on Saturday night and make sure that we can be in charge during the game, we need to win the small battles that well give us the psychological advantage getting a goal or two before half time without conceding any will definitely help us.

"We have the ability, the confidence and right now the momentum hopefully we can use these factors to help us and we can go out there and put up a performance worthy of taking us to the final.”