Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates – our predictions
It was Khaya Ndubane who got the better of Jonty Mark in successfully predicting Orlando Pirates’ win over Kaizer Chiefs when the sides met in a league match last month.
Full time moments as Pirates winning Pirates players jubilant and Chiefs players dejected. Dumisani Zuma of Kaizer Chiefs and Mario Booysen of Kaizer Chiefs during the Absa Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
This time, the two go head-to-head again as they cast their verdict on the winner of this afternoon’s Soweto derby at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Why Chiefs will win (Khaya Ndubane, Online Content Manager)
It’s been years since Kaizer Chiefs lifted any silverware and they want to change that by winning the Telkom Knockout.
In order to do that though, they need to go past their rivals Orlando Pirates today and then beat either Bidvest Wits or Baroka FC in the final.
It looks like a mammoth task for Amakhosi considering that they have not beaten the Buccaneers in the last four years, but what a better way to change that by knocking Pirates out of the Telkom Knockout.
Amakhosi were the last ones to taste victory when the teams last met in the semis of the same competition in the 2015/16 season, so they’ll be looking for a repeat of that this afternoon.
The last time the teams met last month, Pirates won 2-1, but Chiefs were hampered by injuries to key players and this time coach Giovanni Solinas has all his star players available for this encounter.
The likes of Khama Billiat, Leonardo Castro and Lebogang Manyama are available for this match and I’m of the opinion that the leaky Pirates defence will be no match for them today. I therefore predict a win for Chiefs.
Prediction: Kaizer Chiefs 2 Orlando Pirates 1
Why Pirates will win (Jonty Mark, Phakaaathi Editor)
Orlando Pirates may have gone even longer than Kaizer Chiefs without a piece of Premier Soccer League silverware, but in terms of the Soweto derby, there is no debating who has the upper hand in recent years.
One has to go back to the 2014 Nedbank Cup victory to find the last time Pirates lifted a trophy, but in some sense Chiefs provide the perfect opponents for the Buccaneers today in Durban, as they bid to give themselves another shot at filling their dusty cabinet by reaching the 2018 Telkom Knockout final.
One has to go back almost four years to find the last time Chiefs beat Pirates in any competition, and the Buccaneers’ recent dominance of their great rivals continued less than a month ago as Milutin Sredojevic’s side beat Giovanni Solinas’ Amakhosi 2-1 in an Absa Premiership match at FNB Stadium.
Pirates showed great resolve to recover from going a goal down early on against Chiefs, while Amakhosi looked utterly clueless about finding a way back into the match once they fell behind.
The Buccaners are on a roll right now, unbeaten in 11 matches in all competitions, top of the league and starting to show the kind of form that saw them mount a serious challenge to Mamelodi Sundowns in last season’s title race.
In Augustine Mulenga, Justin Shonga and Vincent Pule (assuming all are fully fit), I expect Pirates, as they did at the end of October, to have an attacking trio that is just too strong for Chiefs’ rather flimsy defence, and if Xola Mlambo can get hold of the midfield area, this could be a really chastening experience for Amakhosi.
Prediction: Kaizer Chiefs 1 Orlando Pirates 3
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