"Making it three in a row would be great" - Yusuf Maart


By Neo Poho

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Yusuf Maart is anticipating another Soweto derby victory for Amakhosi as Arthur Zwane's men lock horns with Orlando Pirates in the third Soweto derby of the 2022/23 season.

The two teams meet on Saturday the 6th of May at the FNB Stadium in the Nedbank Cup semi-final where the winner will meet either Stellenbosch FC or Sekhukhune United in the final on the 27th of May at Loftus Versfeld.

Chiefs hold the bragging rights going into the encounter on Saturday as they have already defeated their arch-rivals twice in the league this season with back-to-back 1-0 victories.

Hero in the first derby after scoring a brilliant long range goal from his own half, Maart believes another Soweto derby triumph from Chiefs would have completed their dominance over Pirates this season.

Speaking at the Nedbank Cup press conference on Wednesday morning, Maart said, "To win this upcoming derby against Pirates on Saturday would be great because we would have made it three wins in a row in a single season so as a team we would be very pleased with achieving that feat."

With the approach being a bit different from the past two derbies considering the nature of the game being a cup match, Maart furthermore alluded that with the right mindset and vigilant attitude towards the instructions of the coach, the team can advance to the final of the tournament.

"It's a different ball game because this is a semi-final of a cup that we want to win so obviously the approach will be different and all we have to do is focus on what we need to do and execute the plan of the coach."

Maart who has been very influential in the middle of the park for Kaizer Chiefs this season, has also reiterated that playing for Chiefs automatically comes with its own challenges and difficulties however, he is coping well at Naturena.

"This is my first season at Chiefs and I have already learned a lot since my arrival and some of the lessons include realising that as a Kaizer Chiefs player comes with pressure and you need to handle it as a player and also allow the players around you to motivate you and guide you as an individual.

So that's how I have managed to survive by allowing my fellow teammates to support me and grow as a unit," Maart added.

Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs will be without their midfield maestro Keagan Dolly due to injury while Khama Billiat is fully back in training and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo is still out for the remainder of the season.

Kick-off at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon is at 15:00 o'clock.

Article Tags

Football

Kaizer Chiefs

Yusuf Maart

Nedbank Cup

Orlando Pirates

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