Chiefs aim to overturn 1-0 deficit against Red Arrows at home

Kaizer Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel is optimistic that they will overturn the deficit and qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup group stages at the expense of Zambian side Red Arrows.

After losing the away leg 1-0 in Ndola last Saturday, Chiefs host Arrows in the second leg of the competition’s second preliminary round at Moses Mabhida Stadium tonight (6pm).

“I am not even thinking about losing. There’s no losing tomorrow, so I can’t be thinking about something that won’t happen. My mindset is only on winning,” Miguel said at a press conference at Moses Mabhida Stadium yesterday.

Miguel is drawing motivation from last season, where they managed to secure their berth in the Confederation Cup group phase, albeit failing to advance to the knockout phase of the tournament.

“We did it last season and we are capable of doing it again this season. It’s all in our hands. In the first leg they [Red Arrows] were more aggressive than us and that’s something we must change,” Miguel said.

The Chiefs defender has called for an aggressive approach, saying sometimes they leave it too late to get their rhythm in matches.

“Sometimes I feel like our team is too slow to get into the game ... we delay to get our groove and Red Arrows capitalised on that and now it’s our time to fight,” Miguel noted.

Miguel also vowed that they’ll fight like never before, urging the fans to rally behind the team.

“What I can promise our fans tomorrow [tonight] is a fighting spirit. We have fans who’ve travelled from different places, so we can’t afford to disappoint them,” Miguel said.

“Our supporters are the 12th man that we need, especially tomorrow with this deficit from the first leg. It’s very important for us to stick together.”

Meanwhile, Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz has made it clear that they are going to target scoring first. “The most important thing tomorrow [tonight] is to score first and by doing so, the context of the tie will change,” Da Cruz said.