Heat on Komphela

The embers of discontent were unmistakable in the stands at FNB Stadium on Saturday night and Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela will be desperate to prevent them from igniting into a fireball in the coming days.

Chiefs' defeat to Supersport United in the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup will have turned the screws because the league title is now his last chance for silverware.

The Chiefs coach will want to give assurances that he still has things under control when his charges travel to face league leaders Cape Town City in a tricky must-win league match at Cape Town Stadium tonight.

Third-placed Chiefs are a point behind the leaders and a victory in Cape Town would go a long way towards calming the grumbling over the defeat to Supersport.

Tonight's showdown could be an explosive affair.

Chiefs face the possibility of finishing without a trophy for a second season in a row and City are starting to believe they can win a maiden league title .

Komphela conceded that the trip to Cape Town would not be a walk in the park. City coach Eric Tinkler is challenging his players to make use of a once-in-a-lifetime chance and go for broke in their last six matches.

Tinkler had a heart-to-heart talk with his players ahead of tonight's game emphasising the potential of what they could yet achieve.

"Look, it's a tough game and a must-win," he said at a pre-match press conference yesterday.

"We've reached that stage of the season now where we have nothing to lose. But we also have to throw everything at it and go for it.

"We've got six games left. That's a possible 18 points.

"Yes, other clubs like Wits and Sundowns have games in hand on us, but I still firmly believe points will be dropped," he said.

Fellow title challengers Bidvest Wits, who are second on the standings, and Mamelodi Sundowns, who are fourth, will all be in action on a night in which even a draw could prove costly to the chasing sides. Komphela said City were lethal coming forward.

"They are set up nicely and they know how to screen, and once they get the ball they come at you.

"We need to be careful that our game model does not play into their hands," he said. - Additional reporting by Mark Gleeson - TMG Digital