It will be a win at all costs approach from Chiefs when they come face to face with traditional foes Orlando Pirates on Saturday. That's according to Amakhosi and Bafana Bafana midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala.

The dreadlocked midfielder believes that winning on Saturday will be a nice send off for the fans as the season nears its finish. Tshabalala is looking forward to being part of the fight for township supremacy. The real goal though is for Chiefs to emerge from this match with the full compliment of points as it will help put them in a strong position to qualify for next seasons top eight competition.

Currently both Chiefs and Pirates are outside of the qualification places for next season’s event, and Tshabalala would like to take a giant step towards confirming that qualification by winning on Saturday.

Derby bonus

The fact that Saturday’s match is a derby has made getting the three points all the more important for Tshabalala. In this light he has urged his team mates to focus on getting the job done as efficiently as possible. The Bafana Bafana midfielder said “this match against Pirates is important to us on many fronts, it being a derby at this crucial stage is an added incentive for us to want to win. Winning such a game is good for our fans the last three derbies have been draws and we have not lost to Pirates in almost four years so we have a slight edge over them. Hopefully we can extend that unbeaten streak against them which will obviously delight the fans and will be good for us heading into the final two matches of the season”.

Ready Steady

Tshabalala is hoping to use the derby as a platform to continue shining as he has over the past two months for Chiefs. The Amakhosi will need him to be in inspired form as they go in search of a morale boosting victory. For his part the astute midfielder will be looking to roll on with another crowd-pleasing performance, “for such a game you do not need any further inspiration playing in a derby is more than enough motivation. I have also been lifted by the way I have been performing in matches and training, a lot of the drills that I have been going through have fallen into place during the match. So going to this game I feel really good and positive about my own form and the kind of contribution I will be able to make to the game”.