Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are set for action this weekend in the Nedbank Cup's Soweto Derby in Durban.
While the Glamour Boys will be aiming to beat their traditional rivals on Saturday and win their first trophy in a decade, the Buccaneers are chasing their sixth trophy since the 2022/23 season when coach Jose Riveiro took over. Pirates are doing okay, but their neighbours have been struggling to deliver.
This is coach Nasreddine Nabi's first season at Chiefs, and he has already lost two Soweto Derbies – in the Premier Soccer League.
Former Amakhosi winger Junior Khanye is anticipating a tough clash, but he is not seeing the Nabi-led men getting anything. He is unhappy, though, especially after a decade-long trophy drought for the Naturena-based outfit.
‘It is not good for the history of Chiefs'
“It’s not going to be an easy game. Let me be honest with you, Kaizer Chiefs for [Saturday's game, it’s a do-or-die for players and the coaches, because they’ve been waiting for the past nine years,” he told iDiski times.
“So on [Saturday] if they’re not gonna win, it’s gonna be 10 years. Which is not a good thing for the history of team, the legacy that Kaizer Motaung built. I’m sure the players will want to do for Kaizer Motaung, the chief.
“But [on Saturday], I believe it’s going to be a different story for me. Because it’s going to be difficult because Chiefs will be very cautious and want to catch Orlando Pirates with transition football.”
‘Riveiro has players that can win for him'
“Orlando Pirates obviously come from the win over Chiefs on the weekend, the same opponent, and the coach has got better players compared to Chiefs’ players. Yes, Chiefs can try so hard, but the players at Pirates are better,” Khanye continued.
“The coach has got players that can win the game for him, and I compliment him for the response last week. It didn’t start well for his team, I think they allowed the Chiefs the space to build up. They scored the early goal, but I don’t think he will allow that to happen tomorrow.
“So just to answer you, very quickly, I see Pirates winning 3-1,” he concluded.
