KAIZER Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas says he doesn’t fear their fierce rivals, high-riding Orlando Pirates.
The Italian made this statement at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday after the two Soweto giants were pitted against each other in a Telkom Knockout semifinal on the weekend of 24 and 25 November.
Amakhosi beat SuperSport United 1-0 in the TKO quarterfinal at the same venue to create an opportunity to avenge the 2-1 defeat they suffered at the hands of Bucs in an Absa Premiership derby about a week ago.
Ramahlwe Mphahlele scored the solitary goal by curling a shot straight into Ronwen Williams’ net to applause from Solinas and crew.
However, the coach insists that their focus is on their next league clash with rookies Black Leopards at FNB Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm), as they are desperate to improve their position in the standings.
Amakhosi occupy seventh spot and are six points behind leaders Bidvest Wits. They have 14 points from 11 outings.
Said Solinas: “The reaction of my boys today is very positive. We showed character, desire, commitment, so for the great performance I want to thank them. But there is no time to recover because we have another game tomorrow. The position of Chiefs in the league is not good. We need a win again to improve our position.”
Solinas said if his players displayed the same type of form they showed against SuperSport, they will get bragging rights over Pirates.
“There is no prediction in a derby, it’s open for any result. But this coming derby we are more confident because key players have improved their fitness. Injured players have recovered, so when we have our full squad available it’s different.
“Yes, it’s a difficult game because Pirates are a strong team but if my team perform like they did today, I don’t fear anything.”
Solinas is concerned that the absence of their fans when they face Chippa United in a league clash at Moses Mabhida on Saturday (6pm) could affect his team’s performance.
Amakhosi lost 1-0 to Polokwane City at the same venue on 6 October as their fans served the first of their two-match ban for crowd violence in the match against Free State Stars last season.
“Yes, without the supporters there is a big difference. The fans pushed Chiefs to win the game today, our supporters made the difference. Playing without our supporters is difficult.
“What is the advantage of playing at home without supporters? That’s an advantage for the opponents, not an advantage for Chiefs.
“On Saturday we have another game without supporters and it’s a difficult one. Not only because Chippa play well, but without supporters it’s like a friendly. No supporters, no party.”