Kaizer Chiefs captain Tefu Nashamaite says:
We are arware of the excitement of the Derby. But the key for us is not to be taken up by the hype and we are taking it just like any other game. We have just beaten Ajax and next up is Pirates and thereafter Maritzburg United.
We are taking things one game at a time with the intention of maximising the opportunities that come our way.
And while we acknowledge that Pirates have some dangerous players in the likes of (Lehlohonolo) Majoro and Kermit (Erasmus), it will be a mistake for us to single them out for special attention.
We are focusing on stopping Pirates as a team. At this stage of the season, the most important thing for us is not who the opposition is but rather the need to make sure we don’t drop points while hoping the other teams below us shoot each other down.
You have to remember that we come from a very disappointing season where we lost a championship we looked to be winning easily and we still have some anger from that. We’d be fools to let what happened last season happen again.
It was very good for us to get the win over Ajax because you know people always focus on the negative and that’s why there was all that talk after we lost our first league match to SuperSport. But we are the ones in the lead right now and after the midweek win, we draw confidence from that going into the Derby. We are going to do our best to get the maximum points. We really believe that this is the time for us to win the champion-ship and we won’t let it slip.
Orlando Pirates captain Oupa Manyisa says:
Going into the Free State Stars game we knew that it was going to be a difficult encounter for us. Free State has always been a difficult side to play away and we are glad to have managed to come out with a point from that encounter.
Derbies are always difficult and a loss against Stars could have psychologically wounded us building up to this important match. We lost to Chiefs in the first round and we don’t want to see a reoccurrence of that at this stage of the (PSL) championship race.
Playing in a Soweto derby has always been a dream of mine. There are a whole lot of talented players that I grew up with who shared the same dream as I did back then.
Our day to day conversations would be about playing on this big stage and what it would feel like to have the whole country watching us on the day. I’m just one of the lucky few who made it. And to captain the Sea Robbers on such an occasion is one of those out-of-body experiences which I will cherish forever.
It’s going to be a tricky affair. We just have to focus and operate as a unit.
The last time we lost our league encounter (following Senzo Meyiwa’s passing) it was against Chiefs. After that defeat we sat down as players and the technical staff and spoke about what we wanted to get out of this season. The goal was simple. We want to win our remaining (PSL) fixtures. Yes, we drew once in 2015 but that goal is still alive to this day.
We haven’t lost yet and playing against Chiefs will be one of those encounters that will be a must win for us. - The Star