Former Kaizer Chiefs defender, Tsepo Masilela, has emphasised the importance of Amakhosi winning the Carling Black Label Cup to set the tone for the new season. 

Chiefs will take on Orlando Pirates in their much-anticipated match this coming Saturday at FNB Stadium. 

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Amakhosi have officially confirmed four new signings for the 2019/20 season in Kearyn Baccus, Samir Nurkovic, James Kotei and Lazarous Kambole, and coach Ernst Middendorp has been working with them and the rest of the squad in their pre-season. 

Masilela says it will be very important for the new signings to hit the ground running for them to make the supporters happy. 

“Well, it is very important to win this game and send a strong message. It is also very important for the new guys to put up a great show and make the supporters happy. That said, I have played in seasons where we won the CBL and went on to win nothing for the rest of the season. I have also played in seasons where we didn’t win the CBL but went on to win a trophy or two, so you can’t really predict what’s going to happen,” said Masilela, speaking exclusively in edition 1133 of Soccer Laduma.

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“You want to give the supporters hope; you want to give them something to believe in before the start of the season. It starts with pre-season games like this one for the supporters to have that hope to say, ‘Things will come right this season.’ By so saying, it doesn’t mean if they don’t win on Saturday, they are not going to win anything this season, or vice versa, because it is a long season. It is very important for motivation, confidence and momentum to win on Saturday in order to bring back the team’s confidence. It is only when you win games that you get your confidence back. That’s what winning does for you,” the left-back added.