Kaizer Chiefs ramp up pre-season with Toyota Cup clash in Durban

As Kaizer Chiefs gear up for a fresh start under new head coach Nasreddine Nabi, their pre-season preparations will step up a notch this Saturday when they face Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko in the Toyota Cup at Moses Mabhida Stadium (3 pm).

IOL Sport's Mihlali Baleka reports that after a pretty ordinary, or even sub-par run last season, and with a new-look squad and renewed ambitions, midfielder Thabo Cele has urged Amakhosi supporters to get behind the team – starting with Saturday’s match in Durban.

“There’s something about the support here at home that just drives you to go further,” Cele said after the team received a warm welcome at King Shaka International Airport on Thursday. “It’s a special feeling. Kaizer Chiefs is a spirit – and I urge the fans to come out on Saturday and be part of that spirit.”

Growing chemistry, fresh faces

Chiefs are back in South Africa following a two-week pre-season tour of the Netherlands, where the results – one win and four defeats – mattered less than the bonding and tactical lessons gained under Nabi. Cele believes the trip was invaluable in this regard.

“In the Netherlands, we played some difficult games and got tested,” he said. “But through being tested is where you become a team. There’s a real sense of togetherness now – it’s not fake positivity. It’s real.”

And it gets better, because that chemistry is being boosted by the club’s new signings, with six new players added during the current transfer window: Ethan Chislett, Siphesihle Ndlovu, Paseka Mako, Thabiso Monyane, Flavio Silva, and Nkanyiso Shinga.

Only Chislett, Monyane, Silva, and Shinga travelled with the squad to Europe, but Cele says the remaining arrivals have slotted in well.

“We know the new guys are going to add value. And I feel like they also understand the mission at hand.”

Looking ahead to the season

The showdown against Asante Kotoko offers Chiefs another chance to build momentum – and perhaps erase the bitter memory of last year’s 4-0 defeat to Young Africans in the same competition.

That result was an ominous prelude to a season in which the Chiefs struggled for consistency, salvaging only the Nedbank Cup. This year, the stakes are higher, and so are expectations.

Cele believes the foundation is being laid for a turnaround.

“We talk among ourselves about the mission of this season,” he said. “It’s about every 90 minutes and getting those three points. We’re ready to fight.”

The team hopes Saturday’s match will serve as both a confidence boost and a call to arms for supporters as they look to mount a serious campaign – at home and on the continent.