Akpeyi’s Kaizer Chiefs declare Soweto derby must win
Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi and his Kaizer Chiefs teammates have a mandate to ensure they earn victory in derby clash against Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
Coach of the side Stuart Baxter said winning the Soweto derby is more important than their current log position.
Chiefs and Orlando Pirates meet in the league’s first Soweto derby of the season at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Going into the first league Soweto derby of the season at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, Chiefs are seventh on the log with 12 matches from their efforts.
They’re in a much better place as compared to last season’s stutter where they flirted with relegation in both derbies.
Baxter is a veteran of Soweto Derbies, so the magnitude of the game is not new to him, but he said they also need to focus on eliminating white noise.
“It’s not important to look at the log now, but it’s important to look at the log at the end of the season to see where the teams have finished,” Baxter said.
“When you go into the derby, you have to make sure that you perform on the day and not bring into your world worries like where are we on the log and other things one would worry about.
“The less chit-chat there is in the lead-up to a derby, gives you a chance to focus on the important parts of the game.”
Chiefs were starting to gather some momentum after the October international break with consecutive wins against Chippa United and SuperSport United.
Stellenbosch FC, however, stopped them in their tracks on Tuesday, leaving Baxter unfulfilled with how they’re collecting points.
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“We’ve been happy with some aspects of our game, yet there have been small moments that have had an impact on the number of points we’ve got,” Baxter said.
His Pirates counterpart Mandla Ncikazi was more accepting of where his team is at the moment and the stage of their development.
Pirates are a position above Chiefs on the log, but with two points through five draws as compared to Chiefs’ three.