Bonganu Theletsane © Backpagepix

Chiefs were the winners when the teams met at the Rand Stadium on the 27th September last year during their first round clash and will be looking for a repeat of that result which would see the Amakhosi record a home league victory over Cosmos for the first time since the 2003/04 season. The last time they tasted success over Cosmos in a league game at home was on the 25th of October, 2003.

Vladimir Vermezovic, the Chiefs mentor has issued a caution to his charges to be ready for a very physical encounter on Saturday when they host Cosmos.

“Cosmos are always a difficult team to play against. Especially playing them at this time because they are fighting for their lives and want to stay in the PSL, there can be no questioning the fact that this is going to be a tough game. Despite this I do believe that my players have the ability to win this match,” said the Chiefs mentor.

On Tuesday evening Chiefs played out a goalless draw with Moroka Swallows their first league encounter of 2010 but stayed in the title race as the front runners Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United were themselves held to goalless draws in their opening fixtures of 2010.

The Serbian coach is still confident that his team can challenge for league honours but does not want his charges to drop points in their next five games.

“I said after the Swallows game that one game can determine the championship. On paper we have an easier schedule in these final games than SuperSport or Sundowns. We must not think that way and be complacent; instead we should treat every match like we would treat an important derby game.”

Cosmos will not go easy on Chiefs. Ezenkosi presently find themselves at the foot of the table and despite a 0-0 draw with Maritzburg United on Tuesday afternoon, they have been unable to lift themselves off of the bottom of the table.

They are a much improved team, having collected 11 points from their last six league encounters, and Cosmos midfielder Bongani Theletsane will not discuss the possibility of relegation.

“We have been improving and getting better. We know we should have won our last game against Maritzburg United but we let ourselves down. Our coach Jomo Sono is a great motivator and he has been firing us up and as the players of this team we will rally behind him and make sure that we do not drop out of the PSL.”

For Theletsane, a Chiefs fan as a young boy and a onetime member of the Amakhosi youth ranks, playing the Glamour Boys always gets him extra motivated.

“Both teams have different targets at the moment, which revolves around winning games for different reasons; we want to win so that we can climb up the table while Chiefs need to win stay in the championship race. That fact is going to ensure that this game will be a difficult one. On a personal level I must say that every time I play against Chiefs I get mad and want to win the game.”

The young midfielder gives his word to the Cosmos fans that Chiefs will not repeat the result from earlier in the season when they beat Ezenkosi 2-1. “We should not have lost to Chiefs the last time out and I promise that it will not happen again. We want to win the game on Saturday.”