Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane declares relegation-threatened Marumo Gallants are a force to be reckoned with

Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane during a training session

Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has had time to reflect on that performance and feels that Gallants' outings in the CAF Confederation Cup competition have made the team a force to be reckoned with. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Published Apr 8, 2023

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Cape Town - Marumo Gallants poses a threat to Kaizer Chiefs' glorious winning sequence in the DStv Premiership as they search for a  fifth successive league win at the FNB Stadium on Saturday night (start 8pm).

The relegation-threatened Gallants produced a terrific mid-week performance to defeat Royal AM 3-1 at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in a midweek fixture. Gallants fielded an untried combination after they fielded several players who were not part of recent starting XIs.

Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has had time to reflect on that performance and feels that Gallants' outings in the CAF Confederation Cup competition have made the team a force to be reckoned with.

"When you look at Marumo Gallants it tells you how unpredictable football can be," said Zwane.

"Unfortunately for them, I don’t think they deserve to be where they are [on the log].

"When you watch them play in Africa, they are not in the last eight by fluke, they have been doing very well. They started the season a bit slow and gradually their confidence grew.

"They’re playing with the big boys in Africa. That alone, if you can sustain that pressure of travelling in Africa and grinding results there, builds your confidence and mentally you become strong.

"I think they become so strong mentality now and they believe they can survive the relegation fight. So, we are playing against the wounded tigers.

"They just hammered Royal AM, 3-1. at home and displayed a gallant performance on the night. You can see they’re oozing confidence and believe they can beat anybody at any given time."

Chiefs go into the game on the back of a 2-1 home win against Stellenbosch in their last league game. Victory will see Chiefs win a third consecutive home league game, a feat the club last achieved in the 2019-20 season.

@Herman_Gibbs

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