Kaizer Chiefs will seek a return to winning ways when they host AmaZulu in their next PSL match at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Chiefs are still licking their wounds following their heartbreaking loss in the Soweto derby on Saturday when they held their own until the last minute only for Orlando Pirates to win it via Patrick Maswanganyi’s penalty.
Coach Nasreddine Nabi lamented over the decision to award the penalty but told his players to quickly forget the result and focus on Tuesday’s match as they have an opportunity to fight for three points.
Chiefs will therefore look to return to winning ways and will be counting on home ground advantage as they renew acquaintances with former coach Arthur Zwane, who is now co-coach at AmaZulu.
Form guide
Chiefs have maintained their typical inconsistent form under Nabi but cannot afford another negative result on Tuesday even if they face a team that is coming from a win.
Amakhosi had secured back-to-back wins before their defeat to Pirates and come into the match with six wins and as many losses from their 15 league games that have left them in fifth place on the table with 21 points, one more than sixth-placed Stellenbosch, who have played two games less.
Meanwhile, Usuthu have seen an improvement since Zwane and Vusumuzi Vilakazi were appointed last October and have moved from the relegation zone to ninth place on 19 points and a win will see them draw level with Chiefs.
AmaZulu have secured back-to-back wins and come into the match following their 2-1 win over SuperSport United last weekend.
Head-to-head
This is the second time Chiefs are facing AmaZulu this season, having secured a 3-1 victory in September, when Gaston Sirino ran the show.
However, that was when Usuthu were low on confidence as they come into Tuesday’s match in a different mood and will look to last season when they beat Chiefs 1-0 at the FNB Stadium before forcing a 1-1 draw in the return leg.
AmaZulu have been a tough team for Chiefs to beat as before this season’s 3-1 win, Amakhosi had only beaten them once in 10 meetings, six matches ending in draws, with three victories for Usuthu over that period.
Team news
Kaizer Chiefs did not suffer significant injuries in the derby but there are question marks over Mduduzi Shabalala, who was replaced by Glody Lillepo, while George Matlou limped out. Meanwhile, Wandile Duba is out for close to two months.
New striker Tashreeq Morris is now eligible to play after serving his two-match suspension and will be angling for a starting place, same as Lilepo and the other fresh face Thabo Cele.
Usuthu, meanwhile, have started reaping the fruits of signing ex-Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Bongani Zungu, who will play a key role again, and it will be interesting to see how he fights it out with ex-team-mate Sirino.
What have they said?
Nabi has called for a focus on Tuesday’s match while urging fans to believe in his project.
“We want the players and supporters to be positive and I promise them Kaizer Chiefs will bounce back. We lost this game but I feel there were a lot of good things about the team,” said Nabi.
Tickets, time & where to watch
The match will kick off at 19.30 at the FNB Stadium and will be live on SuperSport (202) with tickets available at Ticketpro outlets for R60 each.
Chiefs predicted X1
Bvuma, Frosler, Dortley, Miguel, Ditlhokwe, Maart, Mthethwa, Sirino, Mmodi, Lilepo, Morris
