Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are gearing up for yet another Soweto showdown over the weekend.
The Amakhosi enter the high-stake encounter on the end of a shaky patch and a position in the bottom half of the table. To make things worse, Chiefs’ captain Legogang Manyama has been suspended.
On the opposing end, in-form Pirates bathe in the sun near the top of the table and have little injury woes to burden their flight.
The teams will lock horns at the FNB fully aware that the winner will emerge recharged for the remainder of the season.
Chiefs Team News
Coach Gavin Hunt will have a headache. No less than four players will be unavailable, including first-teamers Leonardo Castro, Khama Billiat, Dumisani Zuma, and Legogang Manyama.
Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune is also a huge doubt for the derby.
Pirates Team News
Josef Zinnbauer will wait out on last-moment assessments on Thembinkosi Lorch, Richard Oforibut and Happy Jele.
Zakhele Lepassa has been confirmed out of the game.
Predicted Line-ups
Chiefs: Akpeyi, Frosler, Mathoho, Cardoso, Zulu, Moleko, Ngcobo, Blom, Akumu, Mashiane, Nurkovic
Pirates: Ofori, Jele, Hlatshwayo, Ndlovu, Mako, Monare, Motshwari, Monare, Makaringe, Pule, Hotto, Mntambo
Stats and Form
The Buccaneers have won eight out of their last ten matches, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.
The Buccaneer have scored 12 and conceded nine away from home.
Amakhosi have scored nine goals and conceded 12 at home.
Amakhosi have not beaten the Pirates since November 2019.
Coach Pre-Match Comments
Gavin Hunt: “[The Pirates] have invested heavily into the squad, and it has made them stronger, that’s for sure. They’ve got a lot of options in their team. If you look at the squad – it’s a very good squad of players. They’ve done well, and rightly so. We know it will be a tough, tough game for us, but we understand it, and we know it, so we just have to face it up.”
Josef Zinnbauer: “It’s a game out of the league. It’s a derby, and in a derby, you cannot talk about what has happened or not happened in the league. Kaizer Chiefs is one of the biggest clubs in the league, maybe in Africa also. Kaizer Chiefs is a Champions League team. It was close to winning the title last year, and it’s the same team on the pitch at the moment. We know what they can do. They have quality, especially at home. So, yeah, we’ll have to see what will happen on Sunday.”
How to watch Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates
Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates will be televised on Supersport and DStv Now. Kick-off is on Sunday at 3 pm.