Billiat faces former team Khama Billiat

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
WARRIORS star forward Khama Billiat will, for the first time, come face-to-face with his former Mamelodi Sundowns teammates when he features for Kaizer Chiefs in the inaugural Shell Helic Ultra Cup final at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg this afternoon.

Billiat made his Amakhosi bow in a low-key Maize Cup encounter against Free State Stars, which Chiefs won last weekend.
Today will be the first time Chiefs’ new Italian coach Giovani Solinas could be taking charge of the team, having watched from the terraces as his assistant Patrick Mabedi directed operations during the Maize Cup.

Billiat, however, received the backing of his Zimbabwean compatriot and Chiefs vice-captain Willard Katsande, who told The Herald he was expecting his countryman to do well.

Katsande said the Chiefs family were also looking forward to Billiat re-ignite his famed combination with Leonardo Castro, a partnership that led Sundowns to success in both the South African Premiership and the Champions League.

Colombian Castro joined Chiefs from Sundowns during the January transfer window before Billiat followed suit at the expiry of his contract with the Brazilians at the end of June.

“Khama and Castro know how to play together, they have been combining well at training and Chiefs fans are happy to have him in the Khosination.

“He had good game in the Maize Cup last weekend, but the pitch conditions were very bad,’’ Katsande said.
Katsande said there was a new buzz around the Chiefs camp.

Chiefs struggled to make an impact in the era of Steve Khompela as they lived in the shadows of their major Premiership rivals.

“We are going to take this game seriously and we will be aggressive. If we can win it, we will definitely be going into new season with confidence . . . this game is no friendly.

“It’s going to be interesting and its a season to remember, we are going to win cups. We are happy and everyone is looking sharp and we have forgotten about our previous campaign, we need to reclaim our status’’.

Katsande also spoke of the new arrivals at the Soweto giants and said the senior players had been taking responsibility to help them settle.

“It’s our duty as senior players to make them feel comfortable and we have been teaching them the culture of the team and I think they are adjusting very well.’’

He also spoke of the remarkable recovery that youthful Warriors centreback Teenage Hadebe has made from an injury that forced him into a premature end to his season last term.

“He suffered an injury last season when he was one of our key players, he has done well for himself so far and he is a good kid who listens and is very down to earth.
“I think his future here is very bright,’’ Katsande said.

Katsande is not the only player looking forward to Billiat’s Sundowns test with the Brazilians.
Right-back Anele Ngcongca is also bracing for a showdown against his former teammates.

“You’ll see former teammates coming up against us, like Khama and Castro. It’s a crucial game for them, but we are ready for it,” said Ngcongca.

Ngcongca told Kickoff.com he feels it is important to get a victory over Amakhosi to get some confidence before their Champions League reverse tie with AS Togo-Port.

Sundowns cannot afford to lose in the Champions League again if they want to get to the knockout stages of the competition.
“It (the Shell Helix Cup) is an important game for us to show the character, and how we bounce back from a loss against Togo-Port.

“It will test our character and it’s a good opportunity for our new players to show our supporters what they can do.
“It’s going to be a nice game for both teams.

“You know at Sundowns we always play to win, so we will make sure that we win it for the supporters.
“We want to have our hands first on that trophy. At Sundowns there is a mentality of winning,” Ngcongca said.

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