Sekhukhune United will hope to inflict further damage on an already vulnerable Kaizer Chiefs outfit when the two teams clash in league action this weekend.
The Amakhosi will host Babina Noko in their home away from home, Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, on Sunday (3.30pm kick-off).
The last time Chiefs graced the Durban-based World Cup stadium, the club’s rafters of fans left with their flags flying low after a defeat to Golden Arrows.
Chiefs’ chameleon-like performances as coach Nasreddine Nabi and his technical staff attempt the tough task of rebuilding a side that have gone nine seasons without silverware are displayed in their last 11 results in all competitions.
Next Kaizer Chiefs Match!
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⚽Kaizer Chiefs vs. Sekhukhune United
👕First Team
🗓Sunday 19 January 2025
🏟Moses Mabhida Stadium
🕞15h30
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📺SuperSport 202
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Following the Arrows loss, Nabi was shown a red card in the tunnel after expressing his frustration with the match officials’ decisions.
In the 13 games they’ve played, Chiefs have won five, drawn three and lost five, and they currently sit sixth on the Premiership standings.
But after some initial positive signs, Nabi’s team have also not been convincing defensively, the starting point in any rebuilding process.
They have conceded the second-most goals in the Premiership (16) after 13th-placed Marumo Gallants (21), keeping one clean sheet.
Placed third on the Premiership log, Sekhukhune are expected to be a handful for sixth-placed Amakhosi.
Babina Noko have won four of their last five games, and are unbeaten in that run, having drawn the other encounter.
This good run of form has seen them dispose of the likes of Cape Town City, AmaZulu and most recently SuperSport United, with Congolese striker Andy Biyela scoring a hat trick.
Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef admits unhappiness with their inconsistent results, but he assured supporters that they are working hard to change fortunes and find solutions, saying there is no time to rest.
"We don’t have time. That’s football: every day, you win or you lose, you have to prepare for the next game,“ he said after the Arrows defeat.
“If we win this game or we lose, we have to prepare now, and finish this game. We did what we had to do.
“For sure, we are not happy about the situation, but we are ready to prepare now. We’ll take two days’ rest, then we’ll come back to continue working.
“We believe (in) what we do, we know what we have to do. All the players believe in the capacity, and they know what they have to do.
“We have to continue to work. There’s no solution about working: to get results, you have to work. We will continue working.”
The club are also said to be in hot pursuit for fresh faces to bolster their squad, with the Bafana Bafana duo of Oswin Appollis and Fawaaz Basadien said to be at the top of their priority list.
Nabi will hope to have the necessary support to further his ambitions this season in the transfer market as he looks to return the club to the throne of South African football. | Independent Media Sport