Kaizer Chiefs are away against Polokwane City this weekend in the Premier Soccer League game to be staged at the Old Mokaba Stadium.
The Sunday fixture will be Amakhosi's third in a row in Polokwane. The previous ones were against Richards Bay and Royal AM respectively.
It is a massive game for the Soweto giants who still believe they have an outside chance of winning the 2024/25 PSL edition.
Polokwane vs Chiefs: Form Guide & Head-to-Head Record
Since the conclusion of the international break, the Glamour Boys have played two league games. They laboured to a 2-1 win over Richards Bay after Reeve Frosler's sending-off. However, they disappointed their supporters after throwing away a two-goal lead and settled for a 2-2 draw.
Polokwane City lost by a solitary goal away against Cape Town City after a three-week break, before being held to a 1-1 draw at home in their latest fixture versus TS Galaxy.
In the head-to-head record, Rise and Shine have not beaten the Glamour Boys in the last five outings. They have lost three times and drawn twice, explaining why the Soweto outfit come into the fixture as favourites.
Polokwane vs Chiefs: What they said
“We played well in the first half against Royal AM and I don't know what happened in the second half; we lost two points,” Chiefs youngster Wandile Duba said ahead of the match.
“We are frustrated and angry at ourselves because we dropped points when we had to win the game. We should have killed off that game in the first half and just kept the ball in the second half. We will win the Polokwane City game because there's no other way of making our fans happy again other than winning this game.
“They [Polokwane] are an aggressive team and they play up until the last whistle. They will come at us and give 200% because everyone gets motivated when they come up against Kaizer Chiefs,” the 20-year-old concluded.
Polokwane coach Phuti Mohafe has warned Chiefs against trying to play long balls, “They [Chiefs] play in transition and play a lot of long balls. We think it's a match that we need most because we know how to play against teams that play that way, so I think we will do better against them.
“Chiefs are a serious threat because when you check, you'll see that they are also not doing that well, they are getting a win after some time.”
Polokwane vs Chiefs: Team News and Starting XI
Rise and Shine have been struggling for goals and coach Mohafe hopes Ndamulelo Maphangule can offer something special this weekend.
His team has no injuries to worry about nor suspensions that might negatively impact his squad.
Amakhosi welcome back Inacio Miguel who missed the last two matches due to suspension but Reeve Frosler is out owing to the same reason. Coach Nasreddine Nabi might stick with Njabulo Blom at the back after an injury to Dillan Solomons. Goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari is a doubt for this fixture.
Polokwane Probable XI: Sapunga, Baloyi, Matuludi, Nkwe, Alexander, Kambala, Maphangule, Nkaki, Appollis, Chauke, Ramabu
Chiefs Probable XI: Petersen, Blom, Cross, Miguel, Dortley, Mthethwa, Maart, Shabalala, Sirino, Duba, Du Preez
Polokwane vs Chiefs: Time & where to watch
The match will be live on SuperSport TV's PSL channel 202. It will kick off at 15.30 hours, South African time.
