THERE is nothing more exhilarating for a football fan than to see their team play in a local derby against a familiar foe with bragging rights on the line.
This year’s Telkom Knockout competition has been about ‘Unlimited Celebration’ and fans getting the opportunity to share their banter with opposing supporters.
This will be taken up a notch when the semi-finals are played this Saturday, November 7, with two outstanding fixtures to look forward to that are arguably, the biggest local derbies in South African football.
Kaizer Chiefs will host their Soweto rivals, Orlando Pirates, in what is recognised as one of the world’s greatest derby clashes and one that draws a crowd as big as anything Real Madrid and Barcelona can muster.
It is high-octane action at its very best and will bring the whole country to a standstill with the 15:00 kickoff to see who will win their place in this year’s December 16 final.
There will also be another huge South African derby between two of the most successful teams in the country over the past two decades. Mamelodi Sundowns host Supersport United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium at 20:15 in a fixture that never fails to deliver on entertainment.
Both teams have not only been regular winners of silverware, but have also often faced off in crucial knockout matches, including a Telkom Knockout semi-final in 2012.
That game was won by Sundowns when Eleazar Rodgers scored the only goal, but this year’s defending champions, Supersport United, will be keen to avoid a repeat and exact some revenge.
Both matches are set to be titanic battles with quality players all over the pitch and the teams knowing they are just one win away from a showpiece final and all the glitz and glamour that follows.
There are no other fixtures in the South African game that provide such emotion and for the victors there will be plenty to smile about as they will get one over the ‘old enemy’.
