Nasreddine Nabi’s expectations in their Nedbank Cup clash against Chippa United

Nasreddine Nabi’s expectations in their Nedbank Cup clash against Chippa United

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi acknowledges that the Nedbank Cup title is the last realistic chance for Amakhosi this season to get a trophy.

Chiefs have suffered a long silverware drought of 10 years and this marks this evening’s Nedbank Cup last 16 game against Chippa United, a must-win for them.

The Glamour Boys had beaten the Chillie Boys 1-0 in the league in December, but Nabi says a cup game is a different beast.

"It's true that, it's a cup game which our club Kaizer Chiefs have its purpose about the cup, to go as far as we can, even until the end. The league cup is always a difficult game and you can't rely on the last result that we got against Chippa which by the way was a very difficult game unlocked by a mastermind of Tshabalala [Mduduzi]," Nabi said.

Chiefs will also face a different Chillie Boys team than the one they last played against. Kwanele Kopo left immediately after the game in Durban.

Now, Thabo September leads the technical team, with Mabhuti Khanyeza and Morgan Mammila as head coaches. Nabi expects a difficult Chillie Boys team.

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"We expect a very difficult game Saturday, we have prepared for it and we have done our due diligence, we have worked on everything and set up our tactical, and technical plan for the game and we hope that our performance will be very good against a very difficult Chippa team," he added.

The arrival of the three new signings Tashreeq Morris, Godly Lilepo and Thabo Cele has also lessened the pressure on the Chiefs youngsters.

A lot has been said about the perceived club’s over-reliance on Mdu Shabalala and Wandile Duba, who scored eight goals combined this season in the league.

Nabi says part of this, comes from overhyping of the talent.

"It's an opportunity for the younger players, it's not a risk, it's a big opportunity for them. You need to be careful with that [pressure from the media] because we don't want to put them at risk but we want to make sure that they understand where they are going and where they are coming from.