Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz has admitted his side have already surrendered valuable ground in the Premiership race and must respond when they face Siwelele on Sunday.
Chiefs have collected eight points from their opening four matches after draws against Mamelodi Sundowns and Richards Bay, leaving them chasing the early pace set by Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
Da Cruz believes Chiefs should have taken maximum points from both fixtures and cannot afford another slip when they meet Siwelele at Dobsonville Stadium at 5.30pm.
“When we play games, we always want to win,” Da Cruz told reporters on Wednesday. “Normally we would have 12 points at this stage, but in the last two games we lost four valuable points because we drew against Mamelodi Sundowns and Richards Bay. We could have won those games.”
The match will be played away from Chiefs’ usual home at FNB Stadium, which is being used for Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test between South Africa and New Zealand.
READ: Kaizer Chiefs announce fixture change ahead of Siwelele clash
The temporary move to Dobsonville is not troubling Da Cruz, who believes preparations should centre on performance rather than surroundings.
Chiefs will train at the stadium before the match to familiarise themselves with the pitch and environment, but the coach does not regard the change as a significant issue.
“We’ll train at the stadium in the afternoon to feel the grass, get a feel for the environment and feel the size,” he said. “But it is not a main priority for us. The main priority is to focus on our performance and our mandate.”
With Sundowns and Pirates already setting the pace, Chiefs know another dropped points could leave them with an increasingly difficult task of keeping up with the leading pair.