Njabulo ready to blossom against Baroka
Njabulo ready to blossom against Baroka

Posted in News, Team News on Apr 14, 2021.

Kaizer Chiefs will now shift their minds from continental action to domestic duties as they get ready to face Baroka on the road in Polokwane on Thursday afternoon in their next DStv Premiership encounter. After their exploits on the continent which has seen Chiefs reach the last eight of the Champions League, Amakhosi will now play six league games before they are next in action in the Champion League. Starting with their next assignment against Baroka which will be an important clash for Chiefs as they aim to begin their ascent up the league standings.

Reflecting back on Chiefs’ historical achievement of reaching the last eight of the Champions League, defender Njabulo Blom who has featured 33 times for Chiefs this campaign says: “Obviously it was very difficult. We know how tough it is to play on the continent, but we managed to come up with the results which helped us qualify for the quarterfinals. It’s a great feeling because the Champions League is not just any cup, we are representing South Africa in Africa.”

Blom played in Chiefs’ 2-2 draw in their last game against Horoya in Conakry on Saturday night. This was after missing Chiefs’ previous game which was a 2-2 draw in the league against Stellenbosch. He had played in all of Chiefs’ league games this campaign until he missed the Stellenbosch encounter which he was unhappy to sit out.

“Every player loves to play as many games as possible,” explains Blom. “Missing the Stellenbosch game was not nice. I unfortunately did not feature because I was suspended after having collected too many yellow cards.”

With that now in the past, Blom is looking ahead to the Baroka game and believes that Chiefs, who are currently on a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions are ready to put on a good showing.

“I feel like as a team, we are ready for Baroka,” he adds. “We have been preparing well and we have been doing things right on and off the field. I think the confidence is there - we have just grinded good results - the momentum is there, and the team spirit is good.”

Blom is also hoping to get to get a chance against Baroka, a team who have in the past provided a stern test for Chiefs. While he expects a challenging game, he is hoping that Chiefs can stretch their unbeaten run in league games to five matches.

“They have been a difficult team for us, but we are ready for them,” he concludes. “We saw last season they took the league away from us because we did not beat them in the final game. We know what to expect on Thursday and we are not going to underestimate them. They are a very hard running team and a very hard-working team. That said, we are ready for the fight and we will give our best and hopefully get the required three points.”

A win helps Amakhosi’s bid to end the season inside the top eight. It will also help the team get up and running for a challenging domestic schedule in the next few weeks.

It all kicks off against Baroka on Thursday at 15:00 in Polokwane. The game will be live on DStv Channel 202.

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