Nabi challenges Chiefs to "save season" in Pirates derbies

by Staff Reporter

Tuesday Apr 29, 2025. 15:00

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi says that his players need to keep their heads up and now shift their focus to their upcoming Soweto derby clashes against Orlando Pirates.

Amakhosi have had an inconsistent season, and Nabi sees the derbies as an opportunity to redeem themselves as the campaign draws to a close.

Chiefs lost the lead to succumb 2-1 to Marumo Gallants in the Betway Premiership in their last match, leaving them in ninth position, and it is beginning to look as though a top-eight finish might pose a challenge.

Their next match is against their rivals Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, and they will be locking horns once again in the Nedbank Cup final to be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 10 May.

“Sometimes you feel like some [players] are giving up. So, what I told them is there is no time to blame anyone or each other or try to regret what has happened, because the result like today [against Marumo] cannot change,” Nabi said, as quoted by TimesLIVE.

“We have two very important games ahead of us that can still save our season. The derby is coming next weekend and there is the Nedbank final.

“Everyone needs to assess themselves with honesty and look at how they do in training and during games. And then we need to stick together and go into this coming week of preparation with our heads up.”

Despite being a high-profile hire, Nabi emphasised rebuilding in his first season. However, the campaign has been underwhelming, given the new signings and a squad arguably better than its league position suggests.