Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas believes his team will be in a better position for the second Soweto derby of the season, saying he doesn’t fear any team.
Chiefs beat SuperSport United 1-0 on Sunday afternoon in the TKO quarter-final clash and were rewarded with a semi-final draw with arch-rivals Orlando Pirates who swept AmaZulu aside with a 3-1 victory after extra time on Saturday.
The game will be a repeat of the 2009 TKO semis where Chiefs were victorious after penalties following a goalless draw, but after Pirates won the last two derbies – 3-1 in March and 2-1 at the end of October – Chiefs will be looking for swift redemption.
Telkom Knockout semi-final: Kaizer Chiefs vs. Orlando Pirates. Venue and date to be confirmed in due course #TKO2018 #HailTheChief #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/GO4zG0dWGR
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) November 4, 2018
‘If my team perform like they did today, me, I don’t fear any team,’ Solinas told the media on Sunday.
‘In this derby, we are more confident. We are more confident because the key players are improving their fitness, we are recovering the injured players.
‘When we have our squad available, it’s different. Yes, this is a difficult game because the derby is the derby and Pirates is a strong team. But if my team perform like today, I don’t fear anything.’
Solinas hailed his team’s response to the league derby loss with the performance against a SuperSport United team that they had not beaten in their previous eight meetings before Sunday.
‘I’m very happy today because after we lost the derby, the reaction from my boys today was very positive.
‘We showed character, desire, commitment, so it was a great performance. I want to thank my boys, congratulations for the performance,’ concluded the Italian tactician.
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
