Sekhukhune United coach Cedric Kaze says his side will need to be at their best when they face Orlando Pirates in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
The fixture is the first of three meetings between the teams in the space of a week, with a Betway Premiership fixture to follow before the sides meet again in the second leg of the cup.
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Pirates are chasing a fifth successive MTN8 title, but Kaze is relishing the challenge despite acknowledging the size of the task facing his side.
“It’s a very big week for us, playing the same team three times,” Kaze said. “We know how big is the mountain we need to climb, but we are preparing ourselves and want to compete.
“Starting on Saturday, for the first leg we need to be our best. We need to show our intentions, we need to have our mind and our plan clear.”
Kaze said his ideal performance would be a combination of the best aspects of Sekhukhune’s recent displays, particularly their strong starts against Kaizer Chiefs and Durban City, as well as their defensive showing against Polokwane City.
“I would say if I have to combine my best, I would say my first half against Chiefs, my first half against Durban City combined with my best defensive and offensive elements from the first half against Polokwane City,” he said. “We need to find the right balance between how we want to attack and how we want to defend.”
Kaze was reluctant to reveal whether Sekhukhune would adopt an aggressive approach in the first leg, saying he did not want to give away his tactical plans.
“I wouldn’t give you my approach for Saturday because probably I will be selling my secrets earlier on,” he said. “But let’s just say that I have seen how the other teams dealt with them without success. Let me just say that I want to go a different way.”
