Nasreddine Nabi a worried man ahead of the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates - 'You feel like some Kaizer Chiefs players have given up'

Kaizer Chiefs suffered their 11th Premier Soccer League loss on Saturday when they fell 2-1 against Marumo Gallants.

It was the third time the two teams had met in the ongoing campaign across all competitions.

The Glamour Boys had won 2-1 in the first engagement that happened in the league before eliminating them from the Nedbank Cup.

After Royal AM's expulsion, Chiefs are ninth on the table after 25 games, from which they have won just eight, lost 11, and drawn six.

Coach Nasreddine Nabi feels the players might have lost the hunger to continue pushing for a positive result in the South African top-flight football.

On Saturday, they host Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League game at the FNB Stadium.

They will then play the same opponent in the Nedbank Cup final on May 10 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Nabi is now aiming to work on the team's identity and mentality ahead of the two crucial games.

“Sometimes you feel like some [players] are giving up. So, what I told them is that there is no time to blame anyone or each other or try to regret what has happened, because the result like [against Marumo] cannot change,” he told the media.

“We have two very important games ahead of us that can still save our season. The [Soweto] derby is coming next weekend, and there is the final of the Nedbank [Cup].

"Everyone needs to assess themselves with honesty and look at how they do in training and during games. And then we need to stick together and go into this coming week of preparation with our heads up," Nabi added.

“It’s unfortunate that the situation is very bad. We have to accept it and there’s no excuse for that, but the most worrying thing for me is not the results; we have lost our way of playing, and that’s even more concerning,” he concluded.

Kaizer Chiefs have now gone six games in the PSL without tasting a win, which is a concern to the stakeholders and the fans at large.

Amakhosi have three games remaining in the league and need a win on Sunday to stand a chance of making the MTN8 teams.

The Glamour Boys also need a win in the Nedbank Cup to end their decade-long trophy drought.