Ambitionless Chiefs? Amakhosi now target top-five finish! Soweto giants hint Ethan Chislett and Nkanyiso Shinga might make debut against Stellenbosch

Kaizer Chiefs have been doing well in the Premier Soccer League, where they trail leaders Orlando Pirates by eight points with two games at hand.

In a nutshell, a win against Stellenbosch and another victory in the Soweto derby will reduce the deficit to just two points with more than 10 games to conclude the season.

This basically means Amakhosi are strong contenders for the crown alongside their traditional rivals and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

After being eliminated from both the Nedbank Cup and the CAF Confederation Cup, it is logical that the team will push for the PSL. However, it seems that might not be the case, as explained by co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef. However, he insists that doesn't mean Chiefs will not be pushing for the crown.

“Normally, when you finish 10th the previous season, you have to think about continuing to build and finish in the top five the following season,” he said in a pre-match interview. 

“But I think when you’re in a situation where you are close to being on top of the table, you must continue to work [hard]. “I think the performance of the team, to have 30 points from 15 games, hadn’t been achieved in a long time; also, conceding only six goals in 15 games shows the good work the team has done.

"The stats show that we’re doing well in the league, so why not continue to fight? We’re a big team; we are Chiefs, so we have to fight and win all our last 15 games, which would see us win the title without relying on other teams," he added.

Ben Youssef has further explained why they need to tame Gavin Hunt's men on Tuesday night at the FNB Stadium.

"We want to win this game against Stellenbosch to continue fighting for the league," he said.

"It’ll be our fourth game against Stellenbosch this season; we faced them in our very first league game of the season, and we also played against them in the Carling Cup and in the Nedbank Cup.

"So we know them, and we know their quality. We know their coach and their ideas, so we will be ready."

There have been questions about the availability of Ethan Chislett and Nkanyiso Shinga, who were signed in the off-season transfer window, but Ben Youssef hinted they might make their debut against Stellies. 

"[On Tuesday] you will get your results. [On Tuesday], you will get your answer," he responded.