Our strength will reign – Middendorp
Our strength will reign – Middendorp

Posted in News, Team News on Feb 17, 2019.

Coach Ernst Middendorp vowed to take this afternoon’s Nedbank Cup Last 16 fixture against ABC Motsepe League side, The Magic FC, very serious.

“We are focusing to capitalize on our strengths,” said the Kaizer Chiefs coach. “We will do the talking on the pitch. This is another stepping stone that we must follow to advance to the next round. It’s a very important match.”

The Amakhosi squad had their final pre-match preparation on Saturday morning in Johannesburg, before heading to Port Elizabeth.

Gustavo Páez is ruled out of this cup clash due to an abductor muscle injury, while new signing Reeve Frosler travelled with the squad to the Windy City.

Middendorp has always bemoaned the lack of a full week of training sessions as a limitation to properly prepare his team.

“In recent weeks, we have had time for good periods of training sessions,” said the German coach. “Certain elements of the game require thorough training sessions. A game is for application and without training you can’t apply your tactics and strategies properly. We are getting there. I’m content.”

The Magic FC technical director, George Dearnaley, will relish the opportunity to face Amakhosi. During his playing days, the former striker scored the winning goal for AmaZulu against Chiefs in the 1992 Coca Cola Cup final.

Magic FC also have former Glamour Boys defender, David Kannemeyer, in their technical team. They furthermore recently enlisted the services of Andisiwe Mtsila, who was a young and promising Chiefs player two seasons ago.

“We aren’t watching much of their set-up,” concluded Middendorp. “We will rely mainly on our strength to unlock and dominate them. We are well prepared to take them on. We are confident that our strength will reign.”

Chiefs arrived on Saturday afternoon to a warm reception at the Port Elizabeth International Airport.

The Nedbank Cup Last 16 encounter between Kaizer Chiefs and The Magic FC will take place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Kick-off is at 15:00.

 

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