Kaizer Chiefs building a strong side -Matlou

Kaizer Chiefs FC’s midfielder George Matlou says the team’s tour of the Netherlands is helping them build a strong squad for the 2025-2026 Betway Premiership season.

The 27-year-old highlighted the importance of the pre-season training as the Soweto-based giants seek to bounce back strongly in the next campaign.

Matlou spoke about Chiefs progress during the pre-season to put into context their third back-to-back defeats in Europe since last week. The South Africans have so far lost to Vitesse (2-1), FC Utrecht (4-0) and NEC Nijmegen (1-0).

“For sure, we are Kaizer Chiefs, we never want to lose. However, we are building up a strong side to compete, not only in South Africa, but also in the CAF Confederation Cup on the African continent,” the player told Chiefs media.

“And, yes, we all know, it’s pre-season. So winning is maybe not the most important issue at this stage. On the other hand, our next fixture is already on Saturday. We definitely want to win that one.”

However, the midfielder insisted that Amakhosi are learning the hard way from the training matches. “I hate losing. However, these are highly competitive games and that’s how you get better as a team. You don’t get better playing weaker teams,” Matlou explained.

“Besides that, we are getting to know each other. We are improving on when to press, where to press, how to press. Those are all elements that are important to work on during pre-season in preparation for when the league starts.”

Chiefs will also host Asante Kotoko later this month in South Africa in a Toyota Cup match scheduled for Durban.