Toyota Cup clash more than a friendly for Chiefs

PRESEASON tournaments may not necessarily be a true indicator of what is going to transpire in the season proper. But they set the tone for what's to come and give supporters an indication of how ready their team is for the campaign.

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO-

It is for that reason that Kaizer Chiefs are taking the weekend’s Toyota Cup clash against Ghana’s Asante Kotoko seriously, with the Amakhosi speaking of the clash as though it were an FA Cup of sorts.

Smashed 4-0 by Tanzania’s Young Africans last year and then going on to have a league season that might as well be described as an episode in the club’s illustrious story best forgotten, Chiefs mean business this time around.

They have made a handful of new signings they believe will strengthen their squad and make them more competitive and they have described their preseason in the Netherlands as a success.

Their ordinary followers will not easily buy into that though, not when that tour produced a single victory out of five matches - the rest having been defeats.

Understandable then, that Saturday’s clash with Kotoko is way more than just a friendly preseason match.