The season’s last league Soweto Derby is upon us as Orlando Pirates visit Kaizer Chiefs for another crucial Betway Premiership outing this weekend.
The highly-anticipated battle between two of South Africa’s biggest sports brands gets underway at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It’s also the first of two back-to-back derbies to kick off the month of May, and it comes around with two different prizes at stake as the 2024/25 season enters its final stretch.
Form Guide
The shared goal at each camp this Saturday will be to collect three precious league points to try and improve standing in the log. The designated hosts find themselves in unwanted territory in the lead-up to the clash after falling to the bottom half of the table in ninth place.
They did so following a 2-1 home defeat to Marumo Gallants over the weekend, their 11th in 25 league matches this season. It was also their fourth loss on home soil, where indifferent form has followed them throughout what has mostly been a forgettable campaign – particularly in the Premiership where they are winless in their last three outings as hosts.
It’s a record that has placed them in a desperate scramble for a spot in the top eight, some distance away from the success their name has become synonymous with over more than five decades of their existence. A win on Saturday could launch them up as high as sixth place, ending a run of six league matches without a win.
To achieve that, Chiefs will have to overcome a Pirates side in need of a turnaround of their own after their own string of unwanted results. It has been close to three weeks since the Buccaneers finished a match on the winning side, with their latest disappointment coming on their return to league football in midweek where they fell to a rare home defeat at the hands of a resurgent Sekhukhune United.
They are geared up for their first away league fixture since vanquishing Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium nearly a month to the day, while looking to bag three of the 21 points they have available to them in the remainder of the season.
While far more dominant at home than they have been on their travels, Pirates remain amongst the more successful Premiership sides on the road this season. They have won six of their 10 away fixtures, drawing once and losing three times.
Seven points out of a possible nine points in their last three games away from home indicate somewhat of a turnaround after a difficult spell as visitors, and they will relish a return to a venue they are yet to taste defeat in over two years across competitions. Their recent successes at the Calabash include two important league triumphs in the ongoing season, including one in the reverse fixture against the side hosting them this Saturday.
Team News
The red card picked up by defender Nkosinathi Sibisi in midweek renders him unavailable for this weekend’s fixture. This means a bit of a reshuffle in defence with Tapelo Xoki among those likely to step up in his fellow centre-back’s absence.
Other defensive options include Innocent Maela and Siyabonga Ndlozi, while Olisa Ndah and Thabiso Sesane remain on the mend after injuries picked up during the course of the season.
Chiefs have also been dealt a similar blow leading up to the derby. Forward Wandile Duba was yellow carded in the defeat to Gallants, triggering a one-match suspension after he had picked up three previous cautions across competitions.
The hosts are also likely to be without the defensive duo of Rushwin Dortley and Bongani Sam, both sidelined for several weeks through injury.
Key Players
Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates): Providing some stability in heart of the action, Mbatha could play a crucial role in a fixture where the two sides will be giving it their all at both ends. The 25-year-old has the ability to turn defence into an attack in one swift action while also possessing the knack to find the target from some distance out.
Glody Lilepo (Kaizer Chiefs): Since he was roped in midway through the season, the Congolese forward has been a constant goal threat for Amakhosi. His eagerness to take on defenders and place himself in goal-scoring positions has so far yielded four goals in 12 league games, with one of those as recent as his last appearance.
Head-to-Head
Pirates come into the fixture amid a good run of results against their biggest rivals, having won all of their last three league encounters and four in a row across competitions. However, recent derbies have proven that things can turn around in a flash as the Buccaneers’ current success in the fixture was preceded by a run of five results that went the other way.
Stalemates have been a rarity of late, with the last time the two sides shared a point a piece dating back to February 2019 when Daniel Cardoso’s 54th minute strike from the penalty spot was cancelled out by Thembinkosi Lorch with just 10 minutes left to play. You also have to look a while further for the last goalless derby, which occurred during the early part of the 2017/18 campaign.
While victories have been the order of the day for either side of late, the margins have remained tight. The winner of each of the last 10 games in all competitions has done so by finishing a single goal to the good, with Pirates the last team to produce a more convincing victory when they won 2-0 away from home during the 2020/21 MTN8.
TV Coverage and Ticket Info
The Derby starts at 15:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport PSL and SABC1. You can also keep in touch with the action by following live updates posted across Orlando Pirates’ social media platforms.
