As the race to finish in the Top 8 of the Betway Premiership intensifies in the final weeks of the season, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Georg Matlou believes this weekend’s home fixture at FNB Stadium against Marumo Gallants offers Amakhosi an opportunity to close the season out strongly.
“We are building up positive energy to face Marumo Gallants,” the 26-year-old playmaker said.
“We have put what happened last week (a goalless draw against Chippa United) behind us and are only focused on the upcoming match on Saturday.
“We are all looking forward to the game and will be aiming to get the full three points.”
While the point against the Chilli Boys was not a disaster, Matlou accepts that they must do better this time around.
“It was just one of those days; you win some, you draw some, you lose some,” he says of the Chippa result, adding, “Right now, we are only looking ahead to the Gallants game, where we want to redeem ourselves with a victory.”
After facing Marumo Gallants, Amakhosi will be involved two consecutive Soweto derbies, a league fixture followed by the Nedbank Cup final a week a part.
Yet Matlou insists the team is looking no further ahead than their next match, stating, “We have not thought about Orlando Pirates yet.
“We have an important game against Marumo Gallants this weekend, which we need to win to finish as high up the table as possible.
“When this match has been played, we’ll shift focus to Orlando Pirates, but not before.”
Brings their ‘A’-game
Kaizer Chiefs toiled to win the reverse league match against Marumo Gallants 2-1 early in the campaign back in September, and Matlou is expecting them to give a good account of themselves when they visit FNB Stadium.
“Every team we play against brings their A-game because we are Kaizer Chiefs, so we have no easy matches. They have been doing well and we respect them as opponents,” he admits.
“We have done our analysis and have noted a few things which we hope to capitalise on when we play, but I won’t mention any details.”
In closing, Matlou emphasised the effect the Amakhosi faithful have on the players, and the team in general, appealing to fans to turn out in big numbers to create the wonderful atmosphere they are renowned for all over the country.
“We would love to see a big crowd come to FNB (stadium) to support us. Their support means a lot to us and gives us great motivation on the field and we want to repay their loyalty with good performances and positive results,” he says.
The Betway Premiership encounter between Kaizer Chiefs and Marumo Gallants kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 26 April, at the FNB stadium in Nasrec.
Prediction
Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 Marumo Gallants
How do you see the Kaizer Chiefs vs Marumo Gallants match finishing?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
