Following a PSL defeat to Kaizer Chiefs last weekend, Maritzburg - TopicsExpress



          

Following a PSL defeat to Kaizer Chiefs last weekend, Maritzburg United will have another bite at the cherry on Saturday, this time in the Telkom Knockout The Glamour Boys head into the clash as overwhelming favourites and will be buoyed by the confidence that came with the 1-0 win last weekend, thanks to a penalty from Mandla Masango, which was enough to break Maritzburg hearts at FNB Stadium. The victory was Amakhosi’s 11th in a row and Chiefs are yet to lose, or even draw a game this season. Maritzburg, who were unbeaten in three consecutive outings prior to their loss to the Glamour Boys, will be hoping that the defeat taught them a thing or two about how to beat the Soweto giants. “We will be back here at the same time, same place, but wiser. It’s a grudge match, we won’t allow them to beat us again,” coach Steve Komphela told his clubs official website in the build-up to the game. Kaizer Chiefs are the most successful team in the competition’s history with 13 titles. They have conceded just two goals so far this season. Despite being without first-choice goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, his replacement, Brilliant Khuzwayo, has made a bright start. The youngster has kept two clean-sheets in three outings in both league and MTN8 action. Amakhosi boss Stuart Baxter says he has no illusions about what the fans want from the tournament. We go into every tournament with the intention of winning it, the Briton said. “It’s our second game and possibly Steve [Komphela] would want to come with a surprise, to throw more people up-front to have a go at us. I don’t think we should read too much into the first game, things will change in this one. Khune and Katlego Mphela are the only players unavailable due to injury. The pair are expected to be ready in late October and will undergo scans later this week to determine how long they have left on the injury list. Baxter will also have to do without Siboniso Gaxa, who is suspended. Kingston Nkhatha and Mphela are the only strikers to have scored for the Soweto side. Nkhatha has scored twice in 10 appearances, while Mphela scored a lone goal in a single outing in the MTN8. Chiefs have scored 21 goals so far this season. Of the 21, 17 have come from the midfield. The two teams met twice last season, with Chiefs claiming a 2-0 win at home, with the other game ending in a thrilling 2-2 stalemate. The KwaZulu-Natal outfit has not beaten Chiefs in over two years and last bagged a win in April 2012. Since then, the two have met five times, with Chiefs winning twice, while the other three encounters ended in draws.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:17:01 +0000

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