Xulu has nothing to prove against Chiefs
Siyanda Xulu says his association with Kaizer Chiefs will not distract him when his new team Maritzburg United meet the Soweto giants tonight.
Siyanda Xulu (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Xulu joined the Team of Choice at the beginning of the season after he was released by Amakhosi at the end of the 2016/17 season.
“I’m contracted to Maritzburg now, so my focus is on them and to try and help us get a positive result. Maritzburg are currently doing well, so it’s important for me to focus on that,” Xulu told the club’s official website.
“We have been approaching the games the same, whether it be Pirates or Ajax, we’ve been doing the same things, and this has been working for us. So I don’t think changing the way we train, the way we prepare for any game would be good, as that could cause confusion.
“So as we go into our last few sessions before the Chiefs match, we’re keeping the same approach as the other games.
“Playing in front of a big crowd is not something foreign to me, I’m used to that and so I don’t think it will affect my game or put me under pressure,” he added.
READ: Xulu happy to be home at last
Meanwhile, Maritzburg goalkeeper Richard Ofori, who made his Team of Choice debut last weekend against Pirates and kept a clean sheet, is hopeful of putting in another solid performance against one of Africa’s most famous clubs.
“Kaizer Chiefs is the biggest team in South Africa – they have a lot of fans, and they will have a lot of supporters at the stadium on Wednesday. But we are playing home, and the players are ready to give their all for the club and for the Maritzburg fans,” said the Black Stars shotstopper.
“We are on course in terms of the log, but we want to take maximum points against Chiefs in order to move forward with confidence. If we’re at our best, I believe we can surely win this game.
“When I was still in Ghana I was able to watch some of Chiefs’ matches on TV. They looked a very good team. They have a very good attack, they also play on the counter-attack, and are dangerous around the 18-yard box.
“They beat Cape Town City last week, and then drew with Wits – I have seen that game, and I believe they have a strong team. And they have a former Maritzburg coach [Steve Komphela], so he won’t want to lose this match and I’m expecting a very tough one.
“I’ve enjoyed myself so far in South Africa – good players, coaches, good pitches as well. I was happy with my performance against Pirates, I need to continue that now and make sure the team will go forward,” concluded the Ghanaian goalkeeper.
The game is set to be played at the Harry Gwala Stadium at 7.30pm tonight.
