Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows: CAF CC Preview: Team News, Betting Tips & Prediction

Kaizer Chiefs host Red Arrows at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday, needing to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie.

Amakhosi lost 1-0 in Ndola last Saturday after a corner was not cleared, and they did not score an away goal.

That matters because away goals still count in this tie and there is no extra time, so a 1-0 win in Durban would level the aggregate and send the tie to penalties.

⚽ Kickoff Snapshot – Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows
Competition	CAF Confederation Cup, second preliminary round, second leg
Kickoff	Friday, October 23, 2026 – 18:00 SAST
Venue	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Where to Watch	Broadcast details to be confirmed
Red Arrows lead 1-0 on aggregate, and Chiefs scored no away goal in Ndola.

A draw is enough for Red Arrows to reach the group stage, and even a 2-1 defeat would take them through on away goals.

This Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows preview covers form, team news, tactics and four betting tips, ending with our Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows prediction.

Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows preview: form and context

Chiefs have not won in four matches across all competitions, drawing three and then losing in Ndola. Their last five games brought five goals scored, five conceded and a single clean sheet.

In the Betway Premiership they are unbeaten after eight games and sit fourth on 14 points, although five of those results were draws. Coach Fernando Da Cruz has been blunt about the cause, saying after the first leg: “We just lack efficiency.”

He also admitted “We are under pressure every day” and asked supporters to get behind the team at home.

Red Arrows arrive in better shape, with four wins and a draw from their last five, seven goals scored and one conceded. The only goal they have let in during an unbeaten run of six came in a 3-1 win at Mutondo Stars on October 4.

They reached this round by beating FC Rouge of Madagascar 4-0 on aggregate, having won the Zambian cup in May.

Kaizer Chiefs – last five (all competitions)
Date	Opponent	Score	Result
Oct 17	Red Arrows (A)	0-1	L
Oct 13	Stellenbosch (H)	1-1	D
Sep 20	Golden Arrows (A)	0-0	D
Sep 12	Polokwane City (A)	1-1	D
Sep 6	Siwelele (H)	3-2	W
Won 1, drawn 3, lost 1. Scored 5, conceded 5, one clean sheet.

Red Arrows – last five (all competitions)
Date	Opponent	Score	Result
Oct 17	Kaizer Chiefs (H)	1-0	W
Oct 10	Mufulira (H)	0-0	D
Oct 4	Mutondo Stars (A)	3-1	W
Sep 20	Power Dynamos (A)	1-0	W
Sep 13	Inate Rouge (A)	2-0	W
Won 4, drawn 1. Scored 7, conceded 1, four clean sheets.

Continental Watch: what Chiefs need in Durban

A two-goal margin takes Chiefs through whether or not Red Arrows score, which makes 2-0 the minimum target and 3-1 the realistic fallback.

A 1-0 win only gets them to penalties, while a 2-1 win is not enough, because Red Arrows would then hold the away-goals tiebreak.

Head-to-head: Chiefs against Zambian opposition

The clubs had never met before the first leg, so the only head-to-head result is Red Arrows 1-0 Kaizer Chiefs in Ndola on October 17.

Alassane Diarra headed in from a corner late in that match, and no cards were reported.

The wider record offers Chiefs little comfort, as they have won two of seven games against Zambian clubs, with one draw and four defeats.

They have never won a two-legged knockout tie against Zambian opposition, but that history is older context and says little about Friday.

Their home record in African competition is strong at 25 wins, six draws and five defeats from 36, although Zambian clubs account for two of those five defeats.

Head-to-Head – Kaizer Chiefs against Zambian clubs
Season	Opponent	Chiefs score	Result
2026	Red Arrows (A) CAF Confederation Cup	0-1	L
2025/26	ZESCO United (A) CAF Confederation Cup group stage	1-0	W
2025/26	ZESCO United (H) CAF Confederation Cup group stage	1-0	W
2018/19	ZESCO United (A) CAF Confederation Cup	1-3	L
2018/19	ZESCO United (H) CAF Confederation Cup	1-2	L
2000	Nchanga Rangers (H) CAF Cup	0-2	L
2000	Nchanga Rangers (A) CAF Cup	0-0	D
Seven games: won 2, drawn 1, lost 4, scored 4, conceded 8. The Red Arrows game was the first ever meeting between the clubs.

Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows team news and predicted XIs

Chiefs remain without Lebohang Maboe, Siphesihle Ndlovu, Brandon Petersen and Langelihle Phili.

Thabiso Monyane is a doubt after going off injured after 30 minutes in Ndola, and no club update had been found at the time of writing.

No suspensions have been reported for either side, and Red Arrows have no reported injury problems.

Luke Baartman started in attack in Ndola, while Wandile Duba, the club’s leading scorer in the league, was used from the bench.

We expect Duba to start alongside Baartman, with Reeve Frosler covering at right-back if Monyane does not recover.

Etiosa Ighodaro, the Nigerian striker, and Flavio Da Silva both came on in Ndola and are options if Chiefs need a late push.

Chisi Mbewe is expected to keep the side that started the first leg, though he refreshed three players at the hour mark in Ndola and could do the same again.

Kaizer Chiefs team news	Red Arrows team news
Out: Lebohang Maboe, Siphesihle Ndlovu, Brandon Petersen, Langelihle Phili Doubt: Thabiso Monyane (went off injured in Ndola) Suspended: none reported	Out: none reported Doubt: none reported Suspended: none reported

Star players: Wandile Duba against Alassane Diarra

Duba leads Chiefs’ league scoring with three goals, yet he was left out of the starting line-up in Ndola.

Diarra, the Mali attacking midfielder, has already done the damage in this tie, and Chiefs’ defenders will have to track his runs from midfield.

Star Player Comparison
Wandile Duba Striker · Kaizer Chiefs	Stat	Alassane Diarra Attacking midfielder · Red Arrows
South Africa	Nationality	Mali
Substitute	First leg	Started and scored
0	Goals in this tie	1
Duba leads Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership this season with three goals.

The managers

Fernando Da Cruz was appointed in June and started on July 1 on a two-year contract with an option for a third.

The Frenchman coached AS FAR in Morocco in 2022/23 and was sacked in May 2023 after an Arab Champions Cup exit, before serving as the Moroccan federation’s technical director until the end of June.

Mbewe has been bullish, putting his side’s chances of knocking Chiefs out at “eight out of ten” and adding: “We are very confident.”

He has told his players to “remove the name that we are playing Kaizer Chiefs”, and he was also named Zambia Under-23 coach on September 10.

Tactical preview

Chiefs started in something close to a 4-4-2 in Ndola, and Red Arrows also lined up in a 4-4-2.

Da Cruz described the visitors before the first leg as a side that plays “a lot in transition and long balls”.

Mbewe wants his team to stay compact and deny Chiefs control, which leaves Amakhosi short of space in central areas.

That puts the focus on width, quick service into Duba and Baartman, and Chiefs’ own corners and free kicks.

Da Cruz said the Ndola pitch stopped his side playing their “model game”, and Moses Mabhida gives him the chance to test that claim.

For Red Arrows, one goal in Durban would put Chiefs in a hole that their recent attacking record suggests they will struggle to climb out of.

Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows tips

Our four Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows tips are below, and they are opinions rather than guarantees.

Prices move before kickoff, so check the live odds with a licensed operator before placing any bet.

Kaizer Chiefs vs Red Arrows prediction

We expect Chiefs to find one goal at home but fall short of the two they need, which would take the tie to penalties.

Red Arrows have kept four clean sheets in their last five, which argues against a multi-goal win.

Chiefs have scored more than once in only one of their last five matches, and a side that needs efficiency will find it hard to produce it on demand.

Duba, who is likely to return to the starting line-up, is our pick to score the goal.

🔮 Score Prediction

Kaizer Chiefs 1 – 0 Red Arrows

That would make it 1-1 on aggregate with no away goals for either side, so the tie goes to penalties. Likely scorer: Wandile Duba.

Gamble responsibly. 18+ only.