Soweto giants cross swords
WHILE there has been no shortage of confident soundbites in the build-up to the MTN8 final showdown between traditional rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates tonight, both camps are a bundle of nerves.
The two most popular soccer teams in South Africa resume their now 44-year-old rivalry at a soldout Moses Mabhida Stadium and the countdown to what has the makings of a thriller has been marked by a deluge of confident declarations from the coaches, players and even the officials.
The abundant self-belief exhibited by the two sides may have impressed the fans but former players Pollen Ndlanya and Jimmy Tau have enough insider information to know that things are very different away from the glare of the television cameras.
Ndlanya and Tau – who are members of the exclusive group of players who have had the privilege of playing in the Soweto derby for both Chiefs and Pirates – said yesterday the two changerooms will have spent the past few days trying to deal with the massive pressure fuelled by the hype that always accompanies this game.
“The players are very nervous right now and the tension has been building in both camps all week. I’ve been in the two changerooms and I can tell you it is the same in both teams,” Ndlanya said.
“The pressure from the coaches will have increased with each passing day.”
Tau said playing for the two sides comes with high expectations and the burden increases tenfold in a derby, especially in cup finals between the two Soweto rivals.
“Those players have to find a way to deal with the anxiety and the massive pressure that comes with this game,” he said.
Chiefs No 1 goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune will watch this encounter from the stands and his coach Stuart Baxter has to decide on who to send out tonight between Brilliant Khuzwayo and Reyaad Pieterse.
Khuzwayo kept goal in Chiefs’ 21 league win against University of Pretoria last Saturday but the nervous deposition he exhibited at times at FNB Stadium could give Pieterse the edge.
Pieterse started 10 games in Khune’s absence last season – the No 1 was out injured – and it remains to be seen if his performances in those games left enough of an impression to convince Baxter to hand him the gloves when the Briton finalises his starting 11.