The stakes are high – Komphela
The stakes are high – Komphela

Posted in News, Team News on Nov 18, 2017.

“This is one of those games that you enter knowing that the stakes are high,” coach Steve Komphela comments ahead of Saturday’s Telkom Knockout semi-final. “It is a once off and our planning is limited to ensuring that we progress to the next stage.”

Amakhosi will take a short trip across town to negotiate their way to the Telkom Knockout final at the expense of the Clever Boys. This semi-final encounter will be played at Bidvest Stadium. Kick-off is at 15:30.

Chiefs have done well recently - a win and two draws in league matches coupled with two wins in the Telkom Knockout competition. This all bodes well for Komphela and his troops.

The coach admits, “We enjoyed good momentum before the Fifa break and we need to continue where we left off.”

“Wits are very clever,” Komphela adds with a smile, enjoying the pun, “it will be tough, even more so because we are playing in their backyard. It is going to be a hard-fought match with everything to play for.”

Stats show that Chiefs often achieve positive results at the Bidvest Stadium – in 11 encounters at the venue, Amakhosi came out tops with an undisputed seven wins, while Wits only won three times and one match ended in a draw.

Siphiwe Tshabalala, Itumeleng Khune and Erick Mathoho have been on duty with the South African national team squad. “We will evaluate the trio and, accordingly, decide on their readiness for the match.”

Itu played in both 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Senegal. Shabba came on once as a substitute, while Tower didn’t feature at all.

“The medical team will advise us on Khune’s condition and we will take it from there,” says Komphela about the Chiefs goalkeeper who played in the first game against Senegal with a mask to protect the fractured bone just under his eye.

“We continued to work with the rest of our squad during the Fifa break,” the Amakhosi coach concludes. “We are ready and confident to reach the final.”

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