Kaizer Chiefs defender Daniel Cardoso believes Amakhosi’s trophy drought is not normal as they look to book their place in the Telkom Knockout Cup final this weekend.

Chiefs face Maritzburg United on Sunday afternoon at the Mbombela Stadium with a spot in the TKO final up for grabs, and with it a chance for the Glamour Boys to finally end their four-year trophy drought.

Ernst Middendorp’s men have dispatched both Cape Town City and fierce rivals Orlando Pirates in the previous rounds, but now face a different challenge against the underdogs in the Team of Choice.

Cardoso is focused ahead of the game as he looks to avoid another ‘TS Galaxy’ situation after suffering an embarrassing loss to the NFD side in last season’s Nedbank Cup final.

‘Playing the bigger teams in the cup is always a better thing because you’re more focused. Some players can drop a bit against the smaller teams,’ said Cardoso on Wednesday.

‘Like when we played against Galaxy – we thought that was going to be an easy game and they surprised us and the country. So we mustn’t go into this match thinking, “It’s Maritzburg – we’ve got past the two biggest hurdles and we can take it down a notch.”

‘I think the players know what’s at stake – and this is another chance for us to win silverware. We haven’t won a trophy in four years. It’s not normal for Chiefs. For myself, I haven’t won a trophy. Many players here haven’t. So, I’m sure it’s in the back of their minds – just one extra push and we’re into the final.’