Amakhosi go into Saturday’s CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round second-leg against Kabuscorp SCP needing to overturn a deficit after going down 1-0 in the first-leg away in Luanda last weekend, a situation midfielder Thabo Cele sees as the perfect motivation to demonstrate the fighting spirit that exists within the Kaizer Chiefs squad.

Speaking exclusively to www.kaizerchiefs.com on Friday, the 28-year-old says, “We went to Angola with the aim of getting a positive result, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way, which now complicates things for us a bit. But we believe we can do the job at FNB (stadium) tomorrow. We see it as a good challenge for us because if we can achieve our goal of progressing to the next stage, it will be a massive confidence booster for us.”

The Glamour Boys’ flying start to the season that saw them go undefeated in their first five matches of the campaign, has been curtailed somewhat over the past fortnight. However, Cele, who joined Amakhosi midway through last season and was part of the Nedbank Cup winning side, insists they are doing their utmost to build on the foundations they laid in 2024/25.

“Our recent results haven’t been as good as we have wanted,” he admits, “but we are looking forward to the opportunity to put that right against Kabuscorp. We have been working very hard to improve the situation because we want to have a better season than last season, so for the Club to be back in Africa, it is important that we go further with the intention of reaching the final and winning the trophy.”

Cele recognises the tremendous impact the Club’s incredible fanbase has on he team and implores them to give them further impetus by coming out in numbers to support them.

“This is a crucial game and we need our supporters a lot. They give us a lot of good energy, so we need everyone to be behind us throughout the match,” he says.

Of the opposition, Cele acknowledges their equal determination to prevail but prefers to dwell on his own task rather than look to their potential, offering, “They are quite aggressive and physical in a competitive way. They want the same thing as we do, but as far as I am concerned, everything depends on us and what we can do to beat them, rather than focus on how to stop them. We are all going out there with the desire to fight for every ball.”

With matches coming thick and fast, Cele downplays the negative effects of quick turnaround times between games, as he concludes, “It’s not easy but as professionals, playing at this level is what we dream about, so there are no excuses. We have to face the challenge and try to get the results we need whenever we play. This is a very important season and I feel we are in for a good ride.”

The match at FNB stadium in Nasrec kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 27 September.