Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Dumsani Zuma has called upon his teammates to take advantage of the fact that they will be at home in the first leg of their CAF Champions League Quarterfinal tie against Tanzanian side Simba on Saturday.
He has urged his fellow players to fight for a big win which will help them heading into the following week’s second leg in Dar es Salaam.
Zuma says he is not expecting an easy night at FNB Stadium on Saturday. He is however confident that Chiefs will manage to do the business against Simba. Despite not being favourites, the dynamic midfielder feels Amakhosi have a good enough fight in them to give the Tanzanians a tough outing.
“We can get a positive result,” Zuma tells the club’s official website. “We know it’s not going to be an easy game, but we have to take advantage of the fact that we are at home because it’s difficult playing away. We need to win with a big margin and that will make things a little easier for the second leg.”
Chiefs are unbeaten in five home games in the champions league in this season’s campaign and have also not conceded a goal in these games.
Zuma has featured in three games in the Champions League this campaign. He made a telling contribution in Chiefs last group game when he set up Khama Billiat for Chiefs’ second goal in a 2-2 draw away against Horoya. A result which sent Chiefs through to the last eight.
“We are very happy we made it to the Quarterfinals,” he explains. “It’s the first time Kaizer Chiefs have reached the knockout stages of the CAF Champions League. As players we very grateful for this opportunity and we are ready for the challenge. We are not here to make up numbers, we are here to go further in the competition. The last game against Horoya was difficult but the character we displayed showed that if we want something, we can achieve it.”
Zuma who featured for the 18th time this season when he entered as a second half substitute against Swallows during Chiefs 1-1 league draw on Wednesday is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make the Chiefs fans happy. Even if it means having to give everything against a Simba team who will pose a very different threat to what Amakhosi came up against in their last league encounter which was a 1-1 draw on Wednesday evening against Swallows FC.
“We played against Swallows and know very well teams domestically and those on the continent are different,” he concludes. “We tried our best against Swallows, but we drew. We really wanted a win, but it wasn’t to be. Our focus is now on Saturday’s game and our preparations are going well. We still have the confidence and lessons from the Horoya game. I trust the guys and through hard-work, our spirit and confidence, we will go all out to make our fans happy.”
The game will take place at FNB Stadium at 18:00 CAT (19:00 EAT).
