Dikgacoi could be a problem - Ertugral

Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral believes playing surprise Premiership leaders Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night (7.30pm) will give his side the edge.

It will be the first time Ertugral and his players will play at the newly-renovated Soweto Stadium.

Ertugral first came to South Africa in 1999 to coach Chiefs and is now in his second stint at Amakhosi, but has never played an official game at Chiefs' traditional home.

"I watched Orlando Pirates beat Thanda Royal Zulu (4-2) there on Saturday night and the atmosphere was fantastic," said Ertugral.

"The crowd lifted Pirates when they were down and I believe our fans will pack Orlando Stadium and give our players similar support.

"The SA government must be congratulated for the tremendous work they have done in upgrading Orlando Stadium. It is not a match venue for the 2010 World Cup, but a training one and that makes the facelift all that more credible. All who helped rebuild this home of SA soccer deserve credit. We want to do well there as this venue has a special place in the hearts of our supporters."

Ertugral said revenge was not top of his list against Arrows, who clobbered Chiefs 4-1 in the Telkom Knockout in Durban recently.

"All credit to Arrows who on the day were better than us. We were a bit naive and paid the price," said Ertugral.

"I said that one of the teams to watch out for this season are Arrows. I have great respect for the job that their young coach Manqoba Mngqithi has done with limited resources. They have earned plenty of respect. But they will find us a lot tougher and improved this time. I fancy our chances of getting three points."

Arrows are the only side with their unbeaten record intact after nine league fixtures, but that record will come under serious threat on Wednesday, promised Ertugral, who said he does not have any plans to combat Arrows' free-scoring striker, Richard Henyekane, who netted a hat trick in that 4-1 cup win.

"I have no special play for Henyekane, although I rate him highly. The man that could be a problem is their captain and midfield general, Kagiso Dikgacoi, who is the player who makes Arrows tick."

More good news for Chiefs is the return from injury of veteran midfielder Thabo Mooki, who is set to start on the bench.

Ertugral is also closing in on his two end-of-the-year targets. "I always set targets for every 10 games. I gave the players a target of 18 points from the first 10 games and we have collected 15. A win over Arrows would see us reach our target. I also want to finish the year between third and fifth and for that we are also on course."

Ertugral's men bounced back with a stunning 4-1 win over high-riding Wits at Milpark at the weekend, after a 2-0 loss to Pirates the previous weekend.

"Losing to Pirates was tough, but we came back strongly and had we taken the easy chance we created against Wits, we could easily have scored another three," he said.

"That showed we had recovered from the loss to Pirates. But the beauty of the PSL this season is that it is so competitive. Arrows will be tough, but we owe them one and look forward to ending their unbeaten record." - Sapa