Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp admits that the race for the ABSA Premiership title is far from over.
Chiefs have an opportunity to stretch their lead to ten points when they host bottom of the log Amazulu at the FNB Stadium on Saturday evening.
Amakhosi will be looking for their second win in a row after a morale-boosting one-nil victory against bitter rivals Orlando Pirates last Saturday.
With just 9 games remaining before the end of the season, Kaizer Chiefs are still the overwhelming favourites to clinch the league title.
Amakhosi have been at the summit of the log since the beginning of the season, and expectations are very high from the club’s supporters.
Having already earned 48 points from 21 matches, Chiefs still have 27 points to play for. Some of them are tricky fixtures against other title contenders, while AmaZulu who are in the relegation zone, will be desperate for a win this weekend.
“We said it before and why should we start now to do the mathematical logistic of where it can be, in one week in two weeks. We all play each other Wits twice, we play Sundowns, we have to watch Sundowns playing against Pirates, Wits is playing against Sundowns if I ‘am not mistaken. So it’s really difficult believe me to be a mathematician and to do it right. Therefore, let’s not do this,” says Ernst Midderndorp Kaizer Chiefs coach.
Meanwhile, Bidvest Wits have lost ground after a string of poor results and are now almost out of the title race.
The Students who were playing catch-up as far as fixtures were concerned due to CAF Confederation Cup commitments, failed to make use of their advantage. Wits trail log leaders Chiefs by fourteen points having played just two games less. They will be host Chippa United on Saturday evening.
“You know upfront obviously again it is what it is but to just got to battle on we haven’t scored goals the whole year because you’ve got players who have played twenty eight, twenty nine games and scored one goal upfront. So where we are it’s a miracle, for what we’ve got we’ve done really well but we have to keep clean sheets,” says Gavin Hunt Bidvest Wits coach.
With just seven league matches remaining this season, SuperSport United have already counted themselves out of the title race. They are currently fourth on the log with 37 seven points. They visit a stubborn Highlands Park in Tembisa on Sunday.
“For us I think it’s better we take it game by game because we coming off a difficult three games so we needed to dig ourselves out of that and you know focus on ourselves first. One game at a time, and I think our next focus now is highlands park,” says Kaitano Tembo who is the Supersport United Coach.
With Mamelodi Sundowns focussing on the CAF Champions League this weekend, Orlando Pirates have an opportunity of returning to second spot on the log if they beat Golden Arrows in Durban on Saturday evening.
In another match on Sunday, Cape Town City will be at home to Bloemfontein Celtic.
