Stadium Management SA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar has confirmed that over 44,000 tickets for the Betway Premiership clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns have been sold so far.
“At the moment, we are sitting at around 44,000 tickets that have already been sold. Last season, the fixture sold around 23,000 tickets. So we have doubled that number already,” Grobbelaar said during a joint press conference at Vodaworld, in Midrand on Thursday.
Amakhosi and Masandwana will be locking horns at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The kick-off is at 3pm.
In attendance were both team coaches, Nasreddine Nabi and Manqoba Mngqithi. Sankelo Zwane, Inacio Miguel, and Grant Kekana represented their respective clubs.
New-look Amakhosi expected to give tough battle
Despite going into the game as favourites, Mnqithi said he expects a tough battle against a new-look Amakhosi side. The club has shown glimpses of good football in their last two opening games.
“The way Chiefs has started, their transitions, and the players they have upfront, Gaston [Sirino] is very important for them. [Ranga] Chivaviro is also very important for them. And I must also say the young [Mduduzi] Shabalala has stamped his authority,” Mngqithi said.
“When you go to this match without respecting the threat that the opponents also present, you will be naïve or ignorant.
“We are going to this match knowing very well it will be an interesting match. And we are playing against a very good team and a team that is also well-supported. You have to have a bit of humility when you go into a match like this one.
“I must also commend the work coach Nabi has done with the team. In a very short space of time, the team looks very dangerous.”
First home game for new coach
Nabi, who will be playing his first home game as a Chiefs coach, said his charges will be ready for the task at hand. This despite not getting enough time to prepare for the game.
Chiefs played against AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday, where they won 3-1.
“I think maybe we don’t have time to prepare correctly for this game. This is my problem,” added the Chiefs coach.
“It was not possible to talk about the Sundowns game before AmaZulu. This would not be professional. We came directly here (to the press conference) from the airport, and we had one day to prepare. But not to worry, we will give 100 percent.”
