Who will lead Chiefs’ line against struggling Buccaneers?
JOHANNESBURG: Kaizer Chiefs are the fifth highest scorers in the PSL this season, but it’s no thanks to their strikers.
The Glamour Boys host rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday at FNB Stadium, and although previous Soweto derbies have ended in dull stalemates, coach Steve Komphela will again be looking for his forwards to come to the party.
On paper Chiefs have several attacking options, but none of them have really stepped up to the plate, leaving defender Lorenzo Gordinho and midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala to do all the work as joint top scorers with four goals each. Maybe the derby could be a start.
Here we look at who is likely to lead the line against the struggling Buccaneers. Bernard Parker He is the only Chiefs striker to have scored more than two goals this season and that is a huge statement given that the 2014 Golden Boot winner finally ended an awful dry spell in his side’s 3-2 win over Polokwane City in December.
Parker hadn’t scored a goal in more than a year until three months ago, and followed that up with two more against Golden Arrows and Free State Stars. But unfortunately he seems to have hit a slump again as he’s not managed to add to his tally in Chiefs’ previous three league matches. His experience might give him a slight advantage to start ahead of his fellow strikers even though Komphela only gave him seven minutes against Ajax Cape Town on Saturday night.
Starting probability: Very likely
Gustavo Paez The Venezuelan’s been slowly easing into the PSL with brief cameos, but was named in the starting line-up against Ajax as Komphela looked for more bite from the Amakhosi attack. Paez didn’t quite deliver and made way for Parker in the 83rd minute as Chiefs had to yet again rely on a defender to bail them out of a tight spot when Daniel Cardoso scored the equaliser to earn them a valuable point against the Urban Warriors.
Paez will be itching to get involved in the derby and soak up the atmosphere, but Komphela should be cautious in throwing him in at the deep end.
Perhaps the fact that he got his first start on Saturday might suggest the coach was preparing him to be the club’s front man in the remaining league matches, as Chiefs aim to stay in the title hunt right down to the wire.
Starting probability: Maybe
Michelle Katsvairo Komphela spoke highly of the Zimbabwean hitman when he signed Katsvairo and even felt that the player was ready to play as a lone striker at Chiefs. And the confidence wasn’t at all misplaced, with the former Chicken Inn forward keeping defenders busy and showing that he could also bring teammates into play and create goals for them.
But Katsvairo has faded and even missed Chiefs’ last six league matches, a sign that he hasn’t been perfoming in Komphela’s eyes. It’s unlikely that he will be brought out from the cold to play any part in the Soweto derby, leaving the coach with Parker and Paez as the only real options in search of the three points and bragging rights over their rivals.
Starting probability: chance. No