Where it could be won or lost

Bimenyimana v Mvala

One of the first interesting battles to delve into is that of Burundian striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana up against Mothobi “Pogba” Mvala. The latter had a slow start to life at Masandawana, playing only around 30% of the available minutes in his first season, but his involvement decreased as the campaign went on. He has covered briefly at centre-back due to injuries in the past for Downs, once being red-carded against Black Leopards. There have also been a fair few matches on the side of the midfield trio at times, without really impressing. Therefore, his current run of six successive league starts is a major surprise as coach Mokwena uses him in preference to Rushine De Reuck, although they played together against SuperSport United on Monday. His performances have been outstanding and he will face a serious test against the man with “Caleb” on his back. The Chiefs front man has made a good start to life in the heavy Amakhosi jersey, having been signed on the back of the 4-0 loss to Sundowns in August. He has spent weeks on trial, but only after that defeat did Amakhosi pull the trigger to acquire his services. This match-up should be fascinating because Mvala is one of the league’s most dominant aerial players and that’s been an area where Bimenyimana has carried a threat, even if he isn’t particularly adept with his headed finishing. Also, Mvala’s experience in midfield makes him eager to step up and engage and you can expect to see him get tight on the striker when he drops off to link things backto-goal. This has the makings of an excellent sideshow to the match, especially with the Chiefs striker having a couple of forgettable recent outings, missed several half-chances v Sekhukhune United and a penalty against AmaZulu FC.

Zwane v Chiefs’ holding midfielder

There can be few more consistent creative and threatening midfielders in the local game than Themba Zwane. His return to the international set-up is the very least he deserves and his omission was laughable by Hugo Broos, if we consider how well ‘Mshishi’ has performed for half-a-dozen seasons. Although Zwane has only scored once in his last seven league matches against the Soweto giants, a strike in a 3-0 win in 2020, he has regularly caused problems. In the 4-0 thrashing back in August, he turned inside the box and teed up Peter Shalulile’s goal. With him now playing more centrally than ever before, sometimes even as a second striker in the diamond set-up, Chiefs have a problem brewing in the midfield holding role since Njabulo Blom’s sale. Samkelo Zwane is certainly showing potential, and Yusuf Maart can also drop alongside him to offer protection, but it’s not the same as Blom’s aggression and speed across the turf. After call in that position. He clearly doesn’t rate Cole Alexander or Phathutshedzo Nange, but he may look to someone like Njabulo Ngcobo to tighten up midfield and track Zwane’s runs, or at least block the spaces he tends to operate in. By 19h00 on Saturday, we will know who ‘10111’ has trusted in that position and could have a clear idea of whether Chiefs are equipped to stop the Tembisa-born star from running the show!

Ngcobo v Mokoena

In the big games, controlling the engine room is a key factor in who could win the match. Sundowns are expected to play their narrow midfield diamond shape where Teboho Mokoena has been preferred to Andile Jali since Mokwena took charge. The former SuperSport star brings youth, on-the-ball quality and even the ability to score goals (including with his head). A lot of Downs’ play flows through him, whilst he has a lot of defensive responsibility with so many creative players around him. For Chiefs, ‘Mshini’ has played regularly since the Soweto Derby, being used in a number 10 role as opposed to the ill-suited winger role where Zwane used him at the tail-end of last season. Ngcobo is adept between the lines and offers a genuine goal threat with his shooting from distance. He will look to pick up pockets to the sides of Mokoena behind Downs’ shuttlers like Neo Maema and Marcelo Allende. Another key role for the Amakhosi number 12 will be defensively, to either press Mokoena aggressively or to man-mark him directly to push Sundowns wide, where the Glamour Boys could look to isolate the fullbacks.

Dove v Shalulile

For Mokwena, there is a big call over whether Shalulile returns to the XI. He came back from three months out injured with a goal just 12 minutes after his introduction against Chippa United. A towering header showed how dangerous he can be when isolating defenders on the back post and we’ve seen Chiefs have problems with that all season, albeit mostly when the crosses are played deep into their right back area. Edmilson Dove has had a mixed season and had his worst performance against AmaZulu FC. His poor back pass led to Sede Dion’s goal, which made it 3-0 and sealed the Naturena-based side’s fate on the day. Against Sekhukhune, his risky square pass on a sandy pitch put Zitha Kwinika in trouble and led to the deciding strike. He also had a portion of the responsibility for goals for Chippa before the break when he was too easily beaten in the air. With Kwinika also having a dip in his performances, Chiefs look ripe for Shalulile to bully them. On his day, Dove can be very aggressive and dominant, as seen by how effectively he shackled the aerial