Da Cruz under pressure as Chiefs gear up for must-win Knockout Cup clash

After a frustrating and disheartening weekend for millions of Kaizer Chiefs fans, coach Fernando Da Cruz and his troops will be under pressure to bounce back ahead of the Soweto derby.

On Tuesday evening, Chiefs host strugglers TS Galaxy in the Carling Knockout Cup round of 16 at the FNB Stadium, before the big one against their fierce rivals Orlando Pirates at the same venue on Saturday.

Amakhosi were recently knocked out of the preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup – a shocking result that saw club sporting director Kaizer Jr Motaung release a statement calling for calm from the irked supporters.

READ: Kaizer Chiefs break silence on the future of head coach Fernando Da Cruz

“Following our unfortunate CAF Confederation Cup result, we understand and share the disappointment felt by our supporters, players, staff, and all stakeholders connected to Kaizer Chiefs,” Motaung Jr said.

“Competing at continental level brings high expectations, and when results do not meet those expectations, naturally there is frustration and reflection. Success in football is rarely defined by a single match or a single competition.

“It is built through consistency, resilience, and unwavering commitment to a clear sporting strategy. As a club, we would like to reaffirm our full support for, and confidence in, the head coach and the entire technical team,” he added.

READ: Carling Knockout to test Da Cruz’s cup-winning prowess at Chiefs

With the CAF disappointment now behind Amakhosi, Da Cruz is expected to prepare his side for what lies ahead, which is ensuring that the team advances to the next round of the Knockout Cup game against Galaxy and beats Pirates in the not-so-highly-anticipated derby.

“It’s disappointing falling out of the CAF competition. The guys did well to try and get back after the first leg in Zambia, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Amakhosi defender Reeve Frosler said ahead of the game.

“But now our full focus goes onto the Carling Cup. TS Galaxy have been a tough opponent for us in the last few games, but it’s a cup competition and cup games are always different.

He said they are determined to put their best foot forward, and try go all the way in the Carling Cup.

“We have ambitions of wanting to win a trophy, and this allows us to try and do that.

“Obviously, we’ve got the derby coming up on the weekend as well, but our attention is on TS Galaxy now and (we) will use the game as preparation for Saturday,” Frosler added.

The game between Chiefs and Galaxy is scheduled to get underway at 7pm.

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