“We want to win the match for coach Steve Komphela, for the team, for our family and for our supporters,” Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker says ahead of the Telkom Knockout final against Mamelodi Sundowns at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday, 16 December (kick-off is at 18:00).

Amakhosi lost the MTN8 final earlier this season to Ajax Cape Town. That still hurts. “What happened in the past, happened in the past,” Parker reacts. “However, we can’t lose two finals in the space of basically three months. We want to show that we can absorb the pressure. We definitely want to take the Cup. We want it badly.”

“The spirit in the camp is great,” continues the striker. There has been a long absence of official matches due to the national Under-23s’ qualification tournament on the road to the 2016 Olympic Games. “However, we trained at a very competitive level and also played some friendlies. We are ready come the final on Wednesday evening.”

After the game, Chiefs hope to take the Telkom Knockout trophy the following day to Cape Town, where another highly anticipated clash waits for the Absa Premiership. This time it will be against league log leaders Bidvest Wits.

“We always get a great reception in the Mother City,” Parker adds. “I am very excited to play in Cape Town, also because there is a great vibe in the stadium, especially when our supporters come in numbers. I really hope they will be our 12th man on Saturday. We will play two crucial games in the space of four days, which means that we have to be prepared psychologically.”

The match against the Students will be played at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, 19 December (kick-off is at 18:00).