Kaizer Chiefs will head into Sunday’s home Carling Knockout quarter-final against Siwelele with some confidence, but history suggests it will be no easy ride.
In their last 13 home matches in the competition dating back to 2014, Chiefs have won only three outright.
Another six went to penalties, where they have a 4-2 winning record, while they lost four matches without the need for a shootout.
That means they have advanced on seven of those 13 occasions, only a little more than half of the ties they have played in front of their own fans.
Several of those games were played outside Soweto, as Sunday’s clash will be when they host Siwelele at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane (18h00).
The goals tally is also even, with 14 scored and 14 conceded during that period, while Chiefs have kept six clean sheets.
Their 3-0 home victory over TS Galaxy in the previous round came as some welcome relief after they had lost their three preceding home ties in the competition, including a 4-0 defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns in 2024.
“Our main target is to qualify for the next round, the semi-finals. We respect Siwelele a lot, hence we’ve prepared for this game very seriously,” Da Cruz said.
“Yes, we are not playing in Johannesburg but our main focus is only on the field, where we will try to win the game.”
Chiefs defeated Siwelele 3-2 at home in the league earlier this season, but Da Cruz says they cannot read too much into that result.
“I asked the players to forget the league match because these are two completely different competitions. We know there has been a change of coach and their starting XI has also changed a little. We are focused on what they are doing now,” he said.
He added that he would be flexible in his approach to formations and tactics on a game-by-game basis.
“Sometimes it is related to the players available, players injured or not, and sometimes it is related to the opponent,” he said.
“What is important is that whether we play with a back five or a back four, the structure does not alter our offensive game model. We want to keep the same offensive ideas and principles to win matches.”
New signing Elias Mokwana is unlikely to feature as he works towards match fitness, having joined Chiefs as a free agent after leaving Tunisian side Esperance.
“Mokwana is a very good player, an experienced player who has been in the Bafana Bafana team before,” Da Cruz said. “So he has a lot of quality, we know that.
“His start to the season has been a little bit tough, but we have the FIFA break now.
“During this break, we will have time to work with him, and after the break it will be time to integrate him step by step into the squad.”