Chiefs-Pirates: vital points up for grabs
• It is SA football’s biggest match and this derby has a lot more than bragging rights on the line
The Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday has many talking points as the teams tussle not only for bragging rights but also three Premiership points.
The Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday presents us with myriad talking points as the teams tussle not only for bragging rights but also three vital Premiership points.
Here are five points that bring extra spice to the encounter at the FNB Stadium.
● History in the making? Pirates are on a six-game winning run and stand on the brink of history, having never won seven in a row since the start of the Premier Soccer League 24 years ago.
The turnaround in fortunes for the Buccaneers since the arrival of coach Josef Zinnbauer has been stark‚ and their ability to collect victories has also seen them re-enter the championship race with a late charge.
Their six-game winning run has been matched twice before‚ in the 2002/2003 and 2010/2011 seasons‚ but no coach has managed to get them seven wins on the bounce.
It would not only be a great piece of history for Zinnbauer‚ but also cut the deficit at the top of the league between Bucs and Chiefs to three points‚ though they have played a game more.
● Will unbeaten Ernst keep his run going? Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has yet to taste Soweto derby defeat in a competitive fixture as he prepares to meet Pirates for an eighth time in the colours of Amakhosi.
The German coach is in his second spell with the club after previously being in charge from July 2005 to March 2007.
In that time he has met Pirates seven times‚ with three victories and four draws. Two of those stalemates ended in penalty shoot-outs won by Chiefs‚ in the final of the 2007 Absa Cup and Telkom Knockout quarterfinals this season.
● Can Castro grab the headlines again? It remains to be seen whether Chiefs striker Leonardo Castro gets a run on Saturday but one thing is clear: Pirates are his favourite opponent in SA football.
Castro arrived in SA ahead of the 2015/2016 season‚ signing for Mamelodi Sundowns before later joining Chiefs in January 2018. In that time he has managed six goals in nine games against Pirates in the colours of Sundowns and Chiefs‚ by far his most prolific record against any opponent.
It is a game he appears to relish‚ and has already netted in both derbies this season.
While Samir Nurković and Khama Billiat may grab more headlines, Castro is the man against Pirates.
● Who will feel the title pressure? When Zinnbauer took over at Pirates in December‚ they were dead and buried in the title race, 17 points behind league leaders Chiefs.
But fast forward two months and they have cut that deficit against Chiefs to six points and have comfortably been the form side in the top-flight. No team has scored more than their 12 goals in the previous six games‚ and no side has conceded fewer than their three‚ which has put them firmly in the title race.
● Back-to-back wins for Chiefs? Chiefs will hope to complete a feat they have not achieved since Middendorp was first in charge during the 2005/2006 season: complete home and away league wins over Pirates in a season.
It is a strange statistic‚ though it’s not that Pirates have been all that much better — their last back-to-back league wins in a season came in the 2008/2009 campaign‚ despite a run of dominance over Amakhosi in the past few seasons.
During Middendorp’s first spell in charge the club claimed a 2-0 home win in October 2005 and two months later completed a 1-0 away success.
In the almost 15 years in between‚ the Naturena side have failed to repeat that double success‚ but go into Saturday’s clash with the chance to make amends following their 3-2 league win earlier in the campaign.