Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler has stated that he is more unsettled by the prospect of facing Polokwane City than Kaizer Chiefs.

Tinkler’s men will face the two sides in quick succession as they play Rise and Shine in their opening Premiership match of the season before they tackle Chiefs in the MTN8 just three days later.

Asked which side he was more concerned about facing, the coach responded it was the matches against the smaller sides that made him for anxious.

‘I’m more nervous when playing against Polokwane City because those clubs are your direct rivals,’ Tinkler told KickOff.

‘Those are the matches I’m worried about. Even at Orlando Pirates, I was not worried about playing Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United or Bidvest Wits.’

The coach explained it was the failure to meet the expectation of defeating the smaller sides that proves costly over the course of a league season.

‘These are the games that cost you in the long run. To lose against Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns is not a big loss because you are competing against other teams for a place in the top eight,’ he concluded.

City will face Polokwane at Cape Town Stadium for their first match of the season on August 23.

Kick-off is at 19:30.