With Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi's first Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates on the horizon, Soccer Laduma looks at how his predecessors debuted in the last five years.
Former Amakhosi coach Molefi Ntseki was relieved of his duties before he could sit on the bench in the biggest game in the country.
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And the derby encounter came too soon for former interim coach Cavin Johnson, who debuted in the grudge game with a 1-0 defeat, which was only his third game in charge.
Arthur Zwane, having played the massive fixture as a player for both teams, his first as a senior coach in the 2022/23 season was a successful one, after a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a memorable long range goal Yusuf Maart.
Erstwhile mentor Stuart Baxter was also well equipped for the occasion, after a successful era at Chiefs between 2012 and 2015.
In his second stint in the 2021/22 campaign Baxter had inspired Amakhosi to a 2-1 victory after a last-minute penalty by Keagan Dolly.
However, former coach Gavin Hunt had a baptism of fire in his first derby as a Chiefs coach, after a 3-0 defeat in the MTN8 semi-final first-leg and was ultimately embarrassed to a 5-0 loss on aggregate after a 2-0 defeat in the second-leg.
Ernst Middendorp also had a second bite of the cherry at The Glamour Boys, after he was appointed again in December 2018.
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Two months later into the new year, Middendorp's first derby was a 1-1 draw in the league, after Thembinkosi Lorch salvaged a point for The Buccaneers with a late equaliser following an opener by Daniel Cardoso from the penalty spot.
Nabi could use his first game against Mamelodi Sundowns in the league as a motivation against high-flying Pirates, where Chiefs created multiple chances against Masandawana but ultimately lost 2-1 in the league after a tight onside call on Sundowns winning goal by Iqraam Rayners.
