FILE - Mamelodi Sundowns' Lucas Ribeiro battles for possession against Yusuf Maart of Kaizer Chiefs during their Nedbank Cup semi-final at Loftus Versfeld.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Media
Coach Nasreddine Nabi and his Kaizer Chiefs team still have a big job ahead of them in the Betway Premiership despite next month’s Nedbank Cup final being their season-defining clash.
On Sunday, Chiefs came from behind to record a stunning 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals of South Africa’s premier cup competition. They will now face fierce rivals Orlando Pirates on May 10 in the final with a chance of winning their first major trophy in a decade.
But before that showpiece match arrives, Amakhosi still have a massive fight on their hands to finish in the top eight in the league and qualify for next season’s MTN8 tournament.
Chiefs are currently in eighth place with 30 points from 24 matches, one point ahead of ninth-placed Chippa United (29 points) and two points ahead of Golden Arrows (28 points).
Seventh-placed AmaZulu have a three-point buffer over Chiefs, but have played two matches more than the Soweto giants.
Chiefs take on Chippa on Saturday in what is essentially a six-point affair for a top-eight finish, before facing Marumo Gallants a week later.
Chiefs then have a huge league clash against Orlando Pirates in curtain raiser for the Nedbank Cup final, which will be played a week later.
Essentially, Chiefs will have to get on some sort of winning run, which is something they haven’t been able to do under Nabi.
In fact, it’s been a season of extremes for Amakhosi in the Tunisian tactician’s first campaign in charge of the team. Their form has been bi-polar, with Chiefs regularly mixing the sublime with the daft.
With eight wins, six draws and 10 defeats in the Betway Premiership suggests that inconsistency. But Nabi will be hoping that their Nedbank Cup exploits could be the catalyst to get their league campaign back on track.
With five league games left, Chiefs need to target at least 10 points to reach the 40-point mark, a typical threshold for a top-eight finish based on historical PSL seasons. That is basically three wins and a draw.
From now until the end of the season Chiefs basically have a fixture a week, so fatigue shouldn’t be a problem. This is why getting something out of the league against second-placed Pirates should be a priority, given that they have two tough CAF Champions League matches before the sides meet on May 3.
But first, starting on Saturday against Chippa, Chiefs have to get on a winning run to build some much-needed momentum and consistency in the league.
@JohnGoliath82
