Will the Ghosts spook Chiefs again?
JOBURG -– Nothing but fireworks will characterise the second round of the Soweto derby, this time in the Telkom Knockout Trophy to be staged at Durban's Moses Mabhida,
The grass will suffer the most on the pitch when the two Soweto bulls lock horns in the Telkom Knockout Trophy semi-final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 24 November.
The clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, dubbed the clash of the Titans, comes little more than a month after the spectacular Absa Premiership Soweto derby at the FNB Stadium in Soweto. At one of the better derbies in recent times, the Ghosts came from a goal down to claim a 2–1 victory over their traditional arch-rivals.
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The biggest talking point ahead of this knockout derby for which tickets sold out in three days, and aptly dubbed ‘the final before the final’, is whether Abafana bokuthula noxolo (peace lovers) in gold and black will emerge triumphantly or the Ghosts will come back to spook them again. It is expected to be a match of fireworks, as the SABC simply puts it ‘kuzoba lit’.
And ‘Fo Sho’ Moses Mabhida Stadium will once again be the centrepiece of exciting football and all roads are expected to lead to the Zulu Kingdom on this weekend. Many football pundits believe whichever team comes out victorious, will eventually go on to win the trophy.
But the winners will possibly have to get past a tricky Bidvest Wits, who are the defending champions and are currently on a high, having summited the Absa Premiership from the word go in August. They have been recently deposed by a rejuvenated Pirates who are sitting on 22 points from 12 games, having won six, drawn four and lost only two.
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The Clever Boys are on 20 points, however, they have two games in hand over Pirates.
The Students will take on hard-running Baroka FC in the knockout at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo.
So, my final prediction will be the Clever Boys up against the Buccaneers in the final of the knockout. The match is expected to be played at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on a date yet to be announced.
