Chiefs need Durban win to stop the rot
CHIEFS ARE ON THE ROPES BUT PIRATES ARE SHAPING UP LIKE TROPHY WINNERS
The Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, in Claremont on the hills outside of Durban, is hardly a local footballing hotbed, but it’s where the majority of TAB soccer punters will be focusing their attention this weekend.
Under-fire Kaizer Chiefs go down to the coast to take on Lamontville Golden Arrows in another game that sees them fighting to try and get back on their feet as their poor form of recent months continues.
After a 5-0 aggregate loss to arch-rivals Orlando Pirates over two legs in the MTN8 semi-final, Chiefs are on the ropes and looking wobbly.
Their failure to overturn the FIFA transfer ban in the courts has left their squad looking decidedly threadbare and they look even more vulnerable with top striker Samir Nurkovic still sidelined after injury.
There will likely be plenty of money on Arrows upsetting Chiefs tomorrow, even though the Durban club has a poor record when going up against one of the big Gauteng teams.
The long trophy drought that AmaKhosi have suffered looks set to continue into a sixth season, but Pirates look like they have finally assembled a side that could end their long wait for silverware.
They have gone six seasons without any trophies and seen off a myriad of coaches and players.
The Buccaneers face a stern examination tomorrow of the progress that coach Joe Zinnbauer has made, when they host SuperSport United, who also have lofty ambitions of their own this season, especially with the vacuum that Chiefs look to be leaving in the title race stakes.
On Sunday, TAB Soccer 6 and 10 customers will find a banker in Mamelodi Sundowns as they host AmaZulu, but in Cape Town home team City could well be upset by Bloemfontein Celtic.
The Free State outfit have shown their potential by reaching next month’s MTN8 final.
Sundowns have so much quality in their cupboard it is hard to see them having to give up their league title at the end this season, even if Pirates might beg to differ.
But this weekend will give better pointers of the tussle to come.