Stuart Baxter said that his side is going all out to win Telkom Knockout but they will need to overcome Bidvest Wits when the two sides meet in what promises to be a thrilling encounter at a sold-out game at Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg.

Chiefs were hoping that the fixture will be pushed for later date due to the number of players (8) that were on national duty.

“Preparations have been compromised somewhat by the absence of all our national team players but a big Club have to live with that nowadays. There is little we can do.

“Itu (Itumeleng Khune) will not be involved due to bereavement in the family. We are giving him a compassionate leave. The players from the national team are bit tired but fit for the game against Bidvest Wits.

“I was pleased with the performance of some of the players during the Macufe Cup. Some really pushed hard something that we appreciate as the Technical Team. We are moving in a period where we will have lot of games, in November alone I think we have five.

Kaizer Chiefs have won Telkom Knockout three times in the past five years; “We are not taking this game lightly, our approach is to win each and every game. We are going all out to win the tournament.

“We are playing against a tough opposition in Bidvest Wits. They have assembled a good team with exceptional players. The game will be different to the league game we played a couple of weeks ago.

We are thinking that we are in it and we are going all out to win it, if we have to we have to go all out and win at Bidvest on Friday evening,”

Since 1985, in cup competitions, Chiefs have claimed thirteen wins compared to six for Wits. Wits have emerged victorious on all three occasions that the teams have gone to penalties.

The Amakhosi have defeated Bidvest Wits in four successive cup matches including 2006 Telkom Knockout match at Bidvest Stadium.

Stuart Baxter said the records will not count; “It’s a new ball game and we will need to be on top of our game to proceed to the next round,” added Baxter.