Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy believes there is no better time for his side to play Kaizer Chiefs after gaining confidence from the 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns last week.

Both City and Chiefs have had an unbeaten start to the Absa Premiership this season, with Chiefs picking up two wins and a draw while McCarthy’s men have drawn two games and won just the one so far.

The two teams will do battle on Tuesday night at Newlands Stadium. Speaking in the buildup, the City coach said his side will carry confidence into the game against a Chiefs side hitting their peak at the right time.

‘You can’t play Chiefs at a better time especially after the performance against Sundowns; it was very promising and there were a lot of positives,’ McCarthy told the media on Monday.

‘There is a lot of good stuff to take from it and I think we want to put one right here at this stadium, because the last performance didn’t go accordingly.

‘It was not our best performance [against Polokwane City in the MTN8] but I am sure here – the highs that we come from in the game against Sundowns we are prepared for Chiefs.

‘I hope the job that we have done is finished and now the players can go out there and enjoy themselves … play the way we know they can so that we can do something positive and keep the momentum of being unbeaten so far in the season,’ continued the former Bafana Bafana striker.

‘So are Chiefs, they are also unbeaten and it makes for a good game of football.’

Asked what he expects from Ernst Middendorp’s team on Tuesday, he was quick to praise former City man Lebogang Manyama.

‘Chiefs are a very attacking-minded team and their players are finding their peak form at the right time. Manyama is looking like his old self again which is lovely to see because he is a nice kid, good boy and he is over his injury woes,’ said McCarthy.

‘It’s nice to see Lebo back to his form and doing what he does best for Amakhosi. [Bernard] Parker is now shifted from being a striker to the midfield and it seems to work well for him and George [Maluleka] is also back. They’ve got a nice rotation of players in the midfield, ball-playing players and like us,’ he concluded.