Draw looms in Soweto derby
Pirates will kick off favourites in tomorrow’s Soccer City shootout against Kaizer Chiefs but both teams are still struggling to find their feet this season.
rlando Pirates are favourites to beat archrivals Kaizer Chiefs in tomorrow’s Soweto derby, but many TAB soccer pools fans will opt for a draw in what is set to be a tight, high-pressure contest in front of a sell-out 90,000-strong crowd at Soccer City.
Both sides have issues going into the game. Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevich admitted there was much work to be done for his side after a tepid Telkom Knockout Cup victory last weekend.
And his Kaizer Chiefs counterpart Giovanni Solinas bemoaned the absence of six key players through injury after his side also proved victorious last Sunday after post-match penalties.
It’s not exactly the desired pre-derby scenario for either of the Soweto giants, but it does level the playing field for the much-anticipated clash in which Pirates are hoping to extend their unbeaten derby run to 10 games.
Chiefs went 11 matches without defeat in the mid-1980s, when they were at the height of their powers, but those dominant days are long gone and they have had to get over an early season slump to take up a top-three place in the league.
Pirates are two points ahead of them in second in the Premier Soccer League standings, making this not only important in terms of bragging rights as usual, but also key in the league title race as they both complete the first third of their fixtures for the season.
Pirates have a squad full of running and attacking potential, but this season have been strangely anxious and devoid of confidence.
They have suffered several second-half slumps, precipitating something of a mental block for the team.
Chiefs are heavily reliant of the attacking prowess of Khama Billiat and Leonardo Castro, who proved such a powerful force when they won the domestic championship and African Champions League titles in 2016 while together at Mamelodi Sundowns. But both missed out last weekend’s Telkom match against Black Leopards because of injury. Billiat’s back problem should be sorted now, but Castro only started full training this week after more than a month on the sidelines with an ankle complaint.
Should one or both miss out tomorrow, it will significantly reduce Chiefs’ effectiveness and heap pressure on coach Solinas, already obviously battling under the stress of the biggest sporting job in the country.