Orlando Pirates have been warned on how to approach the Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs this weekend.
On Sunday, South Africa’s biggest football derby and even one of the biggest fixtures on the continent will take place when Kaizer Chiefs welcome Orlando Pirates to the FNB stadium.
As always, there is a certain buzz that comes with this fixture as we have seen over the years. Coming into this game with good form, Pirates boss Josef Zinnbauer is hoping his players won’t be too overconfident against their rivals.
Furthermore, the German manager wants his side to keep the right approach and maintain the same level of competitiveness similar to the one they displayed in their victory over Enyimba in the CAF Confederation Cup on Wednesday.
“It’s not always easy when you have a good run. We have now, I think 11 games in a row, we have nine wins and two draws and yesterday (Wednesday) it was good to see the players come back after some bad situations during the game. This is what makes you happy as the coach. When you fly a little bit or when you have good results, the players have to understand that you are not running alone and you have to work for the next game as all the games are different. This is a special derby, and this is one of the biggest games in the whole of Africa and all the players are motivated to win this game. They want points and they don’t want to lose this game,” said Zinnbauer, speaking to journalists.
“You need to win with self-confidence but there is always a small line. If they have too much self-confidence, then they don’t work. You need the right self-confidence and not (being) too casual but not too strong and not too nervous and then you go in the game and you can fight, and you can win. You get the same performance from the attitude that you had yesterday (Wednesday) on the field then you have a big chance to get points on Sunday,” the coach added.
On paper, it’s a tale of two different sides at the moment based on current form. Orlando Pirates head into this game with brilliant form, winning eight of their last 10 games across all competitions, with the remaining two playing out as draws. In opposite fashion, Kaizer Chiefs have only one win from their last 10 games across all competitions, with the win coming against Petro in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup clash two weeks ago.
Pirates are clearly favorites to win but in games like this, form is completely blown out of the water. Less than 48 hours to go as both sides battle for three points and bragging rights.