Du Preez eyes strong finish after injury-hit season

03/28/2025 07:00 AM

Kaizer Chiefs still have a chance of finishing as high as third in the Betway Premiership despite an up and down season, and forward Ashley du Preez believes the team is fully capable of securing a decent finish.

Nasreddine Nabi took on the position of head coach in the beginning of the season. Although AmaKhosi made a strong start, as the campaign progressed, the cracks started to show.

Chiefs are just six points behind third-placed Stellenbosch, and should they grind out better results from now on there's a chance to do better than their disappointing 10th place finish from last season.

"When there are setbacks coming your way, it is about how you bounce back," Du Preez said as per IOL.

"For me, this season has been a really good one, but together as a club, we can do much better, and we need to focus on getting into a higher position. As a player, it’s always nice to win games for your team and also to make the fans happy as well as the club.

“We need to win as many games as we can so that we can finish in a better position than we are currently, so that our fans and the club can be proud of us."

Injuries, particularly a shoulder issue, have hampered Du Preez this season, and he’s eager to regain full fitness.

“Personally, there is still a lot I can improve on. I haven’t started a lot of games, and I would also like to be injury-free because injuries always take you out, and when coming back, it is always a struggle to get back to the team."

27-year-old Du Preez recently had his Chiefs contract extended for two more years.

"I am pleased that my contract was extended, but I also want to improve on the number of goals I score," he added.

"For me, it will really be important for the rest of the season to reduce my injuries and get as many appearances in the starting eleven as possible, to also help the team win games, and to hopefully also be more on the score sheet."