Khalil Ben Youssef doesn't rule out Chiefs mounting a title charge | OneFootball

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Ben Youssef on Chiefs chances for the championship

Photo: Khalil Ben Youssef

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef has not ruled out his team mounting a late title charge in the ongoing second round of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Soweto giants were downed by Stellenbosch at the Calabash on Tuesday, which has them fixated in fourth place with 30 points from 16 league outings - eight points off the summit.

Having missed out on a top eight spot for two consecutive seasons, Ben Youssef says Chiefs will fight for the championship should an opportunity arise, but stressed the technical team didn't make any declarations about the league title.

“From the first [day] of the season we are repeating the same thing - we are taking each game as a cup game, we are managing every game per game. We didn't say that we are competing for the PSL or we are not competing for the PSL,” he said.

"We are fighting for every game, we try to win every game and at the end of the season we'll see which situation [we are in]. Coming from position nine or 10, I think we have to continue to work.

"If we get the opportunity to fight and to win the PSL, we'll do, and the most important thing is the performance of the team and we continue to fight and to win the games.

With the Soweto derby looming, the Tunisian mentor addressed the club's poor form as they suffered three defeats in their last four outings across all competitions.

“It's part of our job when we are in a bad situation like now to continue to work and to make a lot of mental work for the players, to prepare them for the derby. I think every derby has a different reality and depending on the results of the team, derby has another reality and I hope we'll be ready to win this game,” Ben Youssef added.