University of Pretoria are currently lying 10th on the table and will be aiming to move up the standings with a win over Chiefs which will see them among the top five on the table. Captain, Tebogo Monyai also revealed that their 2-0 win against AmaZulu and 3-1 over Free State Stars turned the corner aound for the team.

“Facing Chiefs is always a challenge I must say, everyone knows the kind of football they play and we’ll take the game like any game. We respect any opponent we come up against, I expect fireworks on the day and we’re ready for the game because our preparations have gone well. We’ll not try and introduce something or change our game, we’ll respect them but they’re not different from any team we’ve faced,” said the Tzaneen-born skipper.

Asked if their win against Stars will be a motivating factor ahead of this encounter against Amakhosi, the skipper said they always want to play well despite their poor run of form in their previous games - as they lost three games in a row.

“We’ve played four games without a win and that was not good for us as a team, we tried to sit down as players and the technical team to look at where are getting it wrong, so things are now looking better for us. We hope to keep doing well against any opponent we come up against and we’re ready and looking forward to battle against Chiefs. Football is our job so after the Chiefs’ game, we’ll face Pirates, we can’t complain. We expect to play week in week out, this will be a test of character for us but I believe we are up for the challenge, however, I see it as a blessing in disguise and a motivation for us as well,” added Monyai.