Hunt targets early goal as Kaizer Chiefs aim for miracle comeback
"If we score first, I think the game will change complexion, so it's important," said the Amakhosi head coach, ahead of Sunday afternoon's MTN8 semifinal.
Gavin Hunt is looking to engineer a comeback on Sunday. ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Scoring first will help Kaizer Chiefs unsettle their MTN8 semifinal rivals Orlando Pirates and open up the game, Amakhosi coach Gavin Hunt has said.
READ MORE: Pirates guard against complacency ahead of Kaizer Chiefs clash
For a man who has to come up with a plan to overturn a 3-0 result from the first leg with a team who have scored a single goal on their last four matches, Hunt didn’t sound intimidated.
“We were not good on the day, and they were also certainly not good,” Hunt said this week.
“I think the goals conceded were poor on our side and were conceded from some real bad errors committed. We also had chances and had we scored first it would have been a different result. But that is over now and we have to look forward to Sunday and try and score first.
“If we score first, I think the game will change complexion, so it’s important,” he added.
Hunt said the fact that Pirates will be without their head coach, Josef Zinnbauer who left for Germany after his son was involved in a horrible car accident, means nothing as the structure is already there in the team.
“Firstly, to Josef and his family, they are in my thoughts it’s not very nice when something like that happens. I don’t know the intricate details but I know it has to do with his son who was in a car
accident. I wish his family well.
“On the football side, the structure will be there because he has been there for some time now. They have also brought a lot of good players from a certain club (Hunt’s old team Bidvest Wits).
“They have made a huge difference and made them huge contenders (for titles) this season, I don’t think much will change,” Hunt said.
To be fair to the 56-year-old mentor, the result from this fixture should not be used to judge him as he is still trying to find the
right combinations with a thin squad that is very lean on quality. Asked earlier in the week if he feels the weight of this Soweto derby which comes with so much hype, Hunt said: think there is too much emphasis put on these type of games, of course I understand the rivalry but let’s see where we are at the end of the season.”
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