The biggest game in Mzansi takes place at the FNB Stadium on Saturday February 1 when Orlando Pirates host Kaizer Chiefs in the first installment of the Soweto Derby this season.
Like in the last two seasons, Pirates come into the game as the team in better form but history has shown that form counts for little on derby day.
However, Pirates have had the edge in recent meetings, winning the last three, including a double over Chiefs last season, and heading into the game, Jose Riveiro’s men are second on the log and enjoy a six-point lead over fifth-placed Amakhosi with two games in hand over them.
So, what are some of the things to look forward to in the Soweto derby?
Soweto Derby: Top 10 things to look forward to
Pirates target perfect four
Pirates have traditionally struggled against Chiefs but in the last two years, they have come out on top.
Pirates won 2-1 in May 2023 before a 1-0 victory in November that year and completed a double last season, when they edged a five-goal thriller, winning 3-2 in March 2024.
It was the first time since the 2008-09 season that Pirates had done the double over Chiefs and heading into this weekend’s clash, can they win again?
Chiefs have history but will it help?
However, while Pirates have been on a roll in recent times, Chiefs have the history as in 77 meetings since 1985, Amakhosi have won 36 matches compared to Pirates’ 18 while they have lost 18 as the Bucs suffered 31 defeats over that period.
In fact, before Pirates won in May 2023, Chiefs had claimed five straight Soweto derby wins in the PSL since January 2021 to October 2022, a good record that will give coach Nabi and his men confidence.
Chiefs had mastered the art of rising to the occasion on derby day and this is what fans will be hoping for on Saturday even if their team cannot match Pirates pound for pound in terms of quality.
Nabi’s carefree football vs Riveiro’s pragmatism
While a mistake or a refereeing decision may decide the destiny of the derby, the game will largely be won by how both coaches set their teams up.
Nabi has insisted on playing an open game even when some of his players are not suited to it and the result has been inconsistencies as teams now sit back and wait to hit them on the break while Riveiro is known to adapt to the opponent of the day.
The Pirates coach can open up when he knows he has a big chance of winning but is never afraid to be pragmatic when he feels a carefree approach could be catastrophic.
Therefore, with Chiefs expected to go all out, can Pirates play the same way or will they wait to take advantage of the gaps left behind the Amakhosi backline like SuperSport, Cape Town City and Golden Arrows did so well?
Pirates’ tight defence vs Chiefs’ leaky backline
The different approaches have also yielded different results as Chiefs have the second worst defence, having let in 16 so far, while Pirates have the joint best defence that has conceded just five.
It will be interesting to see if Chiefs’ open backline will be exposed further by the clever Pirates forwards or whether Amakhosi have enough to breach the tight defence of the Buccaneers.
Battle of playmakers: Will it be Mdu or Rele?
Central to whether either team scores will be how well they both create and utilise their chances. Chiefs are among the top creators in the league but have a poor conversion rate while Pirates are very efficient even though they do not create so much.
Mduduzi Shabalala has been the main man at Chiefs now when it comes to chance creation and conversion while Pirates rely on youngster Relebohile Mofokeng, who has eight goals and 11 assists.
Shabalala has four goals and two assists, and has taken on a bigger role in the absence of Gaston Sirino, who has been out injured for over one month, while Mofokeng is now one of Pirates’ main men in the absence of Monnapule Saleng and with Patrick Maswanganyi struggling.
Nabi’s kids vs Riveiro’s ‘Cocomelon’
Another key talking point in the Soweto derby will be the contribution of Pirates’ and Chiefs’ youngsters.
Nabi has given his full trust in young players since his arrival with Shabalala, Wandile Duba and Mfundo Vilakazi turning into his match winners while Samleko Zwane has also been contributing greatly.
Meanwhile, Pirates’ 20-year-old duo of Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota have captured attention with key goals in both league and CAF Champions League, earning the nickname ‘Cocomelon football’.
Shabalala and Duba both have four goals each, Vialakzi with two, while Nkota has four, added to Rele’s eight, making it an enticing prospect in the derby.
Will we see Sirino & Saleng?
Both Monnapule Saleng and Gaston Sirino have been absent in recent matches, the latter returnig as a sub on Sunday, for various reasons and fans will hope to see them on the pitch on derby day.
While Sirino has been out injured, Saleng’s absence is still a mystery with Riveiro not utilising him for nearly two months due to reasons yet to be known.
However, the two would provide stardust to the glamour tie and news that Sirino is back in training will be welcomed by fans who will hope that he gets his first taste of the derby.
Chiefs to unleash new signings?
Chiefs have finalised he transfers of striker Tashreeq Morris, Congolese winger Glody Makabi Lilepo and midfielder Thabo Cele and annouced them on Monday, adding speice to the derby talk.
Amakhosi fans will hope to see Morris in action after serving his two-match ban while it is not ceryain if Lilepo would have acquired a mork permit by then. There are also doubts over Cele who left his former club for personal reasons.
No draws… goals, goals & more goals
One thing fans can expect from the derby is goals as the fixture rarely produces goalless draws.
In fact, the last time that happened was in October 2017 at the FNB Stadium but since then, 21 matches have been played and there have been goals.
There have been nine clean sheets over that period with the winning team edging it by either 1-0 or 2-0 and given how both teams currently play, no drab 0-0 draw is expected.
First derby for Nabi, can he handle the pressure?
Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi will experience the Soweto derby for the first time and fans will be watching how he not only handles the game tactically but how he behaves on the touchline.
Nabi does not hide his emotions and rarely keeps quiet when he feels his team is being treated unfairly.
He has had a go at match officials on a number of occasions and lost it against Golden Arrows, leading to his touchline ban against Sekhukhune United and Free Agents.
Nabi will be back for the derby but will be in the spotlight as he has shown that the weight of expectations and big atmospheres can sometimes weigh him down, especially when his team is on the backfoot.
