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Cape Town - Some might say Kaizer Chiefs are already out of the running for the title, but midfielder George Maluleka says there is a lot that can still happen.
Chiefs currently trail Absa Premiership log leaders Wits by 10 points, with 11 more games to play this season, leading many to conclude that Amakhosi are already out of the race.
But Maluleka doesn't believe it's over until it's over.
"The difference in points is not that much," he argued. “With the games that are still going to be played, there’s still a lot that can still happen, and the teams still need to play each other.
"We just need to be ruthless at home."
At the same time, Maluleka admits that Chiefs have not produced the kinds of result they should have been in recent years.
Reflecting on their three-year barren run without any silverware, he said: "Yes, it’s a reality (that we haven’t won anything in three years)," Maluleka admitted.
"But we focus on positives instead of the negatives. For us to redeem ourselves and the supporters, we’ll try to get some silverware so that we duck out of this hole that we are in.
"We always remind ourselves that we are the ones that put ourselves in this situation, and we can only get ourselves out of it."
Orlando Pirates have emerged as favourites for Saturday's massive Soweto derby match due to their more consistent performances in South Africa and abroad over the last 18 months.
But with Chiefs finally starting to look like a more settled side under new coach Ernst Middendorp, Maluleka feels the Buccaneers no longer have the upper hand.
"I can’t really say what the difference is, but they (Pirates) are playing a lot of games, and they are getting a lot of experience from the CAF (competitions)," Maluleka said.
"From the Caf games, we all know that there’s a mental part of it, but I wouldn’t say that they have an upper hand (on us). It’s something that we are aware of, and (we’ll try) to match them mental-wise."
