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Midrand - Ahead of the much eagerly anticipated Soweto derby this weekend, Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela admits that he feels intimidated by the prospects of facing Orlando Pirates captain Thabo Matlaba due to his strength both in attack and defensive.
Pirates will square-off against perennial rivals Chiefs in an Absa Premiership clash at the FNB Stadium.
Addressing the media in Midrand on Friday, Komphela hinted that the Phefeni Glamour Boys will be all out to match the Buccaneers quality.
“You know one of my worries in the Pirates team is this boy (Matlaba)," insisted Komphela
“Yes he is a left-back but he runs all over the field without getting tired, I don’t know what he eats but whatever it is [it] works for him.
“As a left-back, you will see him crossing the ball from the right hand side, and then our goalkeeper catches it and launches a counter attack, the next minute he will be the one clearing the ball inside the Pirates box.
“But not only him is our threat, Gabuza is also a threat with his strength, Rakhale is a threat as well...
“But all in all is part of football we just have to match their quality come Saturday.”
Heading to this encounter the Buccaneers are coming from a 1-0 loss to Jomo Cosmos, last Saturday, while the Amakhosi lost 2-1 to Platinum Stars last Sunday.
The big blow for the Happy People, however, will be the unavailability of striker Kermit Erasmus who left the club to join French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais. The striker penned a two-year deal.
The Soweto Derby is scheduled for Saturday, January 30.
Kick-off is at 15:30.
