Kaizer Chiefs players warming up before the Betway Premiership at Moses Mabhida Stadium as they look to close the season on a high.
Image: BackpagePix
Kaizer Chiefs have always found a home away from home at Moses Mabhida Stadium this season, which is why there wouldn’t be a better venue to chase one of their best finishes to the season in recent years.
Chiefs will host Chippa United at the iconic World Cup venue in their season finale on Saturday (3pm). A victory from that match would see them end the season with 57 points, the same tally they recorded during their runners-up finish in the 2019/20 season.
Amakhosi will be confident of bagging all three points and finishing the season on a high in Durban. They bagged a crucial 1-0 win in their penultimate game of the season against locals AmaZulu at the same venue last Saturday.
The win over Usuthu ensured that Chiefs had won all five matches in all competitions they played at the venue this season, whether as a home or away team.
As the venue is likely filled with spectators whenever they come into town, coach Cedric Kaze has expressed his gratitude to the fans, saying that they’ve been the fuel behind the team.
“I would say that Moses Mabhida has been very good to us. Durban has been very good to us throughout the season in the Confederation Cup and in the league,” Kaze explained. “The fans are always there. They cheer us on, they give us that extra energy to go that mile above.”
“The only thing that I can say is that I’m very, very humbled by the support that we get from our fans,” he added.
The clash against Chippa could also be a deciding factor in the future of both co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, and some fringe players such as Tashreq Morris.
The future of Kaze and Ben Youssef is set to be under review at the end of the season, as they are in the final two months of their contracts. They were appointed as interim coaches after Nasreddine Nabi’s departure until the end of the season.
There have been reports that the club’s bosses are tossed between parting ways with the duo, as they don’t boast strong coaching pedigrees, while there are also considerations of keeping them beyond the current season due to their secured third-place finish. This finish confirms their qualification for next season's CAF Confederation Cup.
Kaze and Ben Youssef have been vocal about the fact that they’d leave the club ‘happier’ if they qualified for a continental spot, something that they’ve now achieved.
However, the satisfaction could even heighten if they bag the 57-point tally and match the team’s recent best season, which would be a huge improvement from their last two campaigns where they finished outside the Top 8.
To get that result, Kaze knows that they’ll need their 12th man to rally behind them against Chippa United, who’ll be eager for three points as they try to avoid the relegation/promotion play-offs this season.
“We are doing everything on the field to make them happy. I want to make a plea to them to please come out in numbers in our final home game of the season here in Durban,” Kaze said. “They must come out to support the club of their life, and we’ll do everything to put a smile on their faces as well.”