Amakhosi’s combative defender, Inacio Miguel is not taking Sunday’s Toyota Cup encounter in Rustenburg against Zimbabwean champions Scottland FC lightly, notwithstanding it’s billing as an exhibition match.

“It may be styled as a friendly match but to me, there’s a trophy to win,” he tells www.kaizerchiefs.com, “For our fans as well the team, we want to redeem ourselves after not managing to win it last year. We have the opportunity to do that because the Khosi Nation deserves it. We are taking this match seriously because the league starts next weekend and we intend to hit the ground running. This is the perfect warm-up.”

The tough-tackling Angolan international anticipates a decent workout ahead of the season getting under way in earnest.

“Evidently, they are a good side, quite physical. I think they will give us a few tough moments,” he says, “but after our excellent pre-season, we are ready for this challenge. We are concentrating more about how we want to impose ourselves on the game than about countering them.”

Miguel believes the gruelling conditioning regime they endured on their Spanish training camp will reap dividends during the season.

“Pre-season was hard,” he admits, “We worked a lot, both physically and also psychologically, because we were away from our families and we were in unfamiliar environment and very hot weather conditions, which we had to deal with, but we are on a mission to achieve success this season so we had to test ourselves in pre-season to see how we can reach our top level. It has put us in a strong position and we are looking forward to Sunday’s game.”

Amakhosi played practice matches against Rangers (Scotland), Al Kholood (Saudi Arabia) and Elche (Spain) on tour and emerged with two draws and a narrow defeat. However, Miguel urges supporters to see the games for what they were intended to be.

“I understand and appreciate that our fans want us to win but those games were more about preparation, so we were more focused on how we played than the results, our strategy and adapting to the ideas of our new coach. The technical staff were happy with the progress we made and now we want to go out and implement it when the season begins,” he says.

The team’s symbiotic relationship with the fanbase is extremely important to the entire playing and technical staff, as Miguel explains, “This is my third season at the Club and the support has been truly amazing. The fans are so committed to the team. Even in the toughest times, they stand behind us, which is greatly appreciated by everyone of us players. We are competing for a lot of trophies this season and we will do our best to reward them for their passion and loyalty.”