The Blues squad trained in Loftus Versfeld stadium on Friday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s showdown against the Kaizer Chiefs, who beat the Orlando Pirates on penalties in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
The manager and striker Emmanuel Adebayor faced the press just ahead of the training session, with the former of the opinion that a sense of momentum is building up around the camp as the start of the Barclays Premier League season looms ever closer.
“We’ve had a fantastic time here in South Africa,” declared Hughes. “It comes to a conclusion against the Chiefs. We want to finish on a high and take the trophy back with us. It’ll be a big test for us, I watched the game on Thursday between two good teams, and whoever came through the shoot-out would have been a worthy opponent. But our aim is to win, and leave South Africa with more good memories.
“There’s a sense of anticipation around the club and the fans, as well as the squad itself. They see the quality that we are able to add now and there is a real sense of purpose around everything that we do. Every training session is at a high level, we expect to improve game on game and this is a really exciting time for us. We cannot wait until the start of the season.”
Adebayor was understandably the focus of much attention, and he is in line to start a game for City for the first time this afternoon.
He added, “I’m really happy to be here, coming back to South Africa is like coming back home. I was really pleased to join City because they showed me an ambition, they wanted players to help them achieve their dreams, and so I thought, why not?
“I hope the dreams start against the Kaizer Chiefs, it will be a big game, a tough one and my first of the season. I’m looking forward to it.”
Don’t forget the final will be shown live on mcfc.co.uk from 1.30pm today (kick-off 2pm).
