Gavin Hunt is expecting a tough encounter when he faces his former team, Kaizer Chiefs, in the Betway Premiership on Friday.
The two sides are separated by just one point on the league standings with City in fifth with 15 points from 10 games, and Amakhosi in fourth place with 16 points from nine matches played.
Hunt’s side come into this game on the back of a 1-0 league loss to AmaZulu, while Chiefs, under interim co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, most recently secured their place in the group stage of the CAF Champions League.
In the league though Amakhosi have drawn their last three games, 1-1 with Marumo Gallants, 1-1 with AmaZulu and 0-0 with Siwelele.
Speaking ahead of the game, Hunt said in the Post: “I think when you play Kaizer Chiefs, they are never in a bad moment. They always have the support behind them. The fans drag them across the line and help them win games they sometimes shouldn’t.
“They are the biggest club in South Africa in terms of numbers. They usually come here and get more supporters. We are under no illusions; we obviously need to grow, but we can only grow while the team competes.
“Like I said, when you face a team like Kaizer Chiefs, they are never out of form. One moment for them can turn the match around. So it’s going to be tough for both us and them. We are a competitive team and want to put our stamp on the game.”
Following Chiefs’ progression in the Champions League, Kaze added: “Everyone is happy for the qualification. We started well created momentum that gave us a boost. It was an amazing level of football. We thank the fans for the support, it’s the beginning of a story we’re writing for this club.”
Despite their recent goalscoring woes in the league, Kaze is optimistic about Chiefs’ improving form.
“I spend every day with the players. I see how they train and I see the amount of effort they put into everything. I see how they want to progress. These players have a very good mentality to learn and to progress, and that’s where I take my confidence,” he added in the Sowetan.
Chiefs are, meanwhile, waiting on medical assessments for Khanyisa Mayo and Glodly Lilepo, who were both injured in recent fixtures.
Long-term injury absentee Flavio Silva is also close to a return.