After a bright start to the season with a 4-1 triumph against Dynamos in Giyani, the wheels suddenly came off with Chiefs losing the SAA Supa8 crown against nemesis club Supersport United.

The Glamour Boys somewhat appeared to have lost their allure when they drew 2-2 with Bush Bucks before losing to bitter enemies Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby. The agony didn’t all end there. Against Wits they had to come from behind to win the duel 2-1 and needed a late Collins Mbesuma goal to share the points with Golden Arrows last weekend.

Amakhosi have virtually made the Coca-Cola Cup their property since the competition re-entered the South African soccer scene. Their proud record reads: played 13, won 12, lost 1, goals for 28, goals against 8.

On paper, certainly, there is nothing to suggest why they should not add another game to their win tally. Playing at home against Dynamos, the Amakhosi will certainly start as favourites.

Cup matches offer little room for error and Dynamos, who only hope, if any, for cup glory, lie in the Coca-Cola Cup and will exploit all weaknesses in the Amakhosi side to keep their candle burning. The Limpopo side, despite their terrible league run so far, have proved an unpredictable lot when, against all odds, they booted Ajax Cape Town out of the Coke Cup with a 2-0 victory.

Former Sundowns striker Sandile Ndlovu appears to be the new goal hero. The lanky forward was on target in the 2-0 win against Ajax and he is the only Dynamos player to have scored against Chiefs this season. The focus will be on him along with Thomas Ledingwane to deliver Dynamos to the promised land.

While Chiefs have experienced some defensive nightmares in their last four matches, they can however take comfort in that the striking department has been delivering the goods.

Mbesuma, Amakhosi’s leading scorer with 10 goals (4 cup), has been the club’s main source of goals but if tightly marked, Chiefs could have problems. David Radebe broke his duck in the 2-1 win against Wits and although his scoring rate is not at all impressive, he has contributed positively with his runs off the ball.

Dumitru has promised a different approach against Dynamos and almost predicted a positive outcome for Amakhosi. “We are playing a cup match and there are no second chances. You play 90 minutes and if you do not do the job in that period you are out. That is the message we are sending to all the players.

"Dynamos are an improved team and we take them very seriously. They always play well in Johannesburg but we are making plans accordingly. We looked at their pattern of play, which has changed recently and they are quite aggressive,” said Dumitru.