It's not often we go into South Africa's biggest match with both Soweto giants in such poor form. Neither side has started the DSTV Premiership campaign in impressive style, whilst these clubs have both suffered two cup exits each since September too. There are question marks over the playing personnel and the coaching staffs right now, which is bizarre in the case of Orlando Pirates, who have won three trophies in the last 12 months! The match itself has plenty of on-field talking points with the Glamour Boys and the Sea Robbers struggling to score goals, having big dilemmas in goal and neither team having consistent tactical formation in recent weeks either. In many ways, this feels like the disjoined derby and supporters may not see the quality they expect from, theoretically at least, the country's two biggest challengers to the dominance of Mamelodi Sundowns. In this preview, Soccer Laduma investigates the key individual battles, the recent form of the two clubs and ask whether fans may get a first sighting of Itumeleng Khune in this fixture after many years on the sidelines!
Chiefs' Recent Form
Going back all the way to May, we see a club in pretty dire form. At the time of writing, ahead of Wednesday's fixture against Cape Town Spurs, Kaizer Chiefs have played 18 games since a 1-0 win away at Chippa United on 27 April. There have been just four victories to enjoy and three of those came in 18 days in August under Molefi Ntseki. Since that small flurry of wins, it's been one triumph in eight fixtures for the Glamour Boys. Worse still, the last six encounters in all competitions have seen five losses. They may point at the misfortune of not being granted a last-minute penalty in the MTN8 semi-final defeat at Mamelodi Sundowns, but there are few excuses or caveats allowed for the three-game losing streak that they're currently on. Whilst hardly stellar, the side's home form in the DStv Premiership is a little better. Their last 10 home games in the league have seen four wins and three draws, and prior to the loss to Cape Town City in early October, had eight points from four home league fixtures with just one goal conceded. With eight defeats in the last 13 league matches (both home and away), the Naturena-based outfit are a million miles from being title contenders. That run of league results is as follows:
L L L D L L W W D L W L L
Pirates' Recent Form
Right now, Jose Riveiro's men are in their worst form since he took over. Prior to the significant recent slump, Bucs had followed up February's 1-0 loss in the Soweto Derby to Chiefs with a long run of excellent form. Their next 21 fixtures in all competitions saw just two defeats. The momentum they gathered saw the Nedbank Cup lifted and CAF Champions League football secured by finishing second. Things have gone somewhat pear-shaped since then, causing sections of the supporter base to question if the Spaniard has taken the team as far as he can. The last 10 encounters in all competitions have only seen two wins if we attribute penalty kicks as being drawn matches, as the recordkeeping rules indicate. Those two victories were a 1-0 home win over Jwaneng Galaxy, a win in vain as the Sea Robbers exited continental action on spot-kicks, and a 2-0 home win over then whipping boys, Spurs, in the Carling Knockout. Pirates have failed to score in six of those 10 fixtures despite the vast firepower at their disposal. On the only occasion where they netted more than once during this mini-crisis, one of the strikes was a penalty. That means that they've scored just four open-play goals in 10 fixtures. Overall, they were on a four-match winless run in the DStv Premiership before the win over Sekhukhune United. They've followed five successive wins on their travels from March to May with two losses and two draws in their last four. Since their run of a mere two losses in 21 matches, their last 10 results read as follows:
L L L W D W D D L D
Midweek Matches Play A Part
Both teams had midweek fixtures to navigate before Saturday's big clash. Pirates hosted a Sekhukhune United side that had lost three of their previous four league games and who they thrashed 5-0 in the MTN8 earlier this season. Chiefs hosted an Urban Warriors outfit with eight losses in nine matches but a shock 2-1 win over Pirates last week to get off the mark. Pirates collected three points on Tuesday, while Chiefs were set to do the same the following day, to boost morale and confidence. However, fatigue becomes a factor, especially with Riveiro seemingly making a sarcastic comment after playing 120 minutes against Kaitano Tembo's men, saying, "We are playing on Tuesday, which is fantastic to continue with the rhythm of playing every two days." The only benefit for Bucs is that they have an extra rest day compared to Amakhosi. Both sides will hope to avoid injuries and also suspensions. Chiefs have both Pule Mmodi and Sifiso Hlanti on three yellow cards and therefore one booking against Spurs would mean they sit out the derby. Pirates have the same concerns over Thabang Monare. Zakhele Lepasa was suspended against Babina Noko and will have used the off day to get over a knee problem that has been troubling him. The Glamour Boys are without Mthethwa for this midweek clash, so he will be fresh and raring to go for his first Soweto Derby!
Something Fun:
Combined XI On Current Form
We know that team form often goes out of the window ahead of a derby match. The same applies to the form of individual players. We've seen someone like Monnapule Saleng come into this showpiece in tip-top form but flatter to deceive with 95 000 sets of eyes on him. If we have a spot of fun and do a combined XI ahead of this clash, we can get an idea of which team has players in better form than the other. On the Chiefs side, very few players are currently playing anywhere near their best. The two head coaches this season don't seem to trust the strikers at their disposal, have struggled to settle on regular fullbacks and have tinkered both in midfield and in goal. Bucs are not much different right now with Sipho Chaine injured and with Nkosinathi Sibisi just back from the treatment table. Coming up with a composite XI is nigh on impossible and no one would be in agreement. In goal, Chaine would be the 100% choice, but he is injured and therefore out of contention. Brandon Petersen is making some serious errors and looks devoid of confidence. That leaves Melusi Buthelezi or Itumeleng Khune. Despite Pirates' recent poor form, Buthelezi has done relatively well with three clean sheets in five outings and with only really Spurs' second goal looking like one where he could have done better.
At the back, Reeve Frosler has kept a strong level of late and it's hard to look past Xoki as a mainstay of the Pirates defence, especially when Thatayaone Ditlhokwe is struggling and both players are seeing different players used as their partners. Despite Olisa Ndah having some good displays, not least in the MTN8 final, his club teammate Sibisi gets the nod. Left back is a nightmare for both teams right now, so Hlanti gets the nod as he is a specialist in that role compared to Hotto. The midfield is another tough area, but Castillo has kept a good level even if his goals have dried up. Timm has returned from injury in good form and gets the nod to partner the Venezuelan. Further forward, Lorch has his mind back on football and he gets the nod along with relatively consistent Maswanganyi. With Saleng's recent dip and no Chiefs players really excelling, the final spot is yet another conundrum. Dolly has returned from a long lay-off in sharp form, so he gets the nod. With Pirates not starting Lepasa in recent weeks, the final spot goes to Ashley Du Preez and Chiefs will be desperately hoping he shakes off an injury to start this derby!
CURRENT COMBINED XI:
Buthelezi – Frosler, Xoki, Sibisi, Hlanti – Castillo, Timm – Dolly, Maswanganyi, Lorch – Du Preez
Will Riveiro Play 4-4-2?
One of the interesting tactical questions concerns the shape of Pirates in this match. We've seen all manner of systems and set-ups since Riveiro took over. He began with a 3-4-2-1 and later went to a 4-3-3 with two number eights. He finally settled on a 4-2-3-1 and the side began to look really good in terms of results, performances and scoring goals. In some big games, for example the Nedbank Cup semi-final last season and the first league match against Chiefs, he went to a 4-4-2 shape. Considering he has been playing Kermit Erasmus and Evidence Makgopa together in recent matches, we may again see two strikers selected at 15h30 on Saturday. Lepasa has 10 goals this season, but he hasn't scored in seven appearances and has largely been used from the bench since his knee injury flared up on Bafana Bafana duty. Makgopa has scored two goals in recent weeks and may warrant a start, but he is still developing his link-up play and Riveiro may feel he needs Erasmus to tie things together. "Romeo" has netted seven career goals against Chiefs and is a player with BMT: big match temperament. A 4-4-2 also represents a question mark on the flanks. Lorch will surely play on one side, most likely the left, and Maswanganyi could feature down the right with Saleng nowhere near his best at the minute. This decision from the coach could inform how the entire match plays out, as will his choice of partner for Timm. If Monare starts, it gives a better base and will lead to a less open, frantic game. If it's Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo or Siphelo Baloni, Bucs will be less patient and more direct in their approach. That's a big decision and responsibility for the somewhat under-fire coach!
Can Cavin Risk Starting Petersen?
Cavin Johnson has lots of big calls for the derby, from his selection at centre-back to the balance in midfield and the number nine who he chooses. Above that, the goalkeeping position is a huge call. Petersen has made a number of huge errors this season, from the last minute howler in the league game against Sundowns to his error against the same opponents in the MTN8 semi-final. Against Golden Arrows, he played a hospital pass to Ditlhokwe when the Botswana centre-back clearly wasn't comfortable receiving the ball. Will Khune start instead? Whilst his best days are long gone, he is less likely to actively cost Chiefs the game with a howler. He may also be less likely to make an amazing save like Petersen to stop a sure-fire goal. The last time "Spider-kid" was trusted in this huge fixture (excluding the Carling Black Label Cup) was in November 2018, some five years ago. He would certainly bring some calm to Amakhosi's build-up play against Pirates' high-pressing game. It may be the second-last chance Khune gets to play in the derby with his contract expiring in June and a move to an off-field role on the agenda. However, Johnson defended Petersen's howler against Abafana Bes'thende and claimed he hasn't even seen the previous mistakes this season. Surely, he should have watched all of this campaign's matches after taking a job at the club! The experienced mentor said, "I've not seen his other mistakes. If it's happened before, we will try and fix it, but the way I look at it now, he'll come back. He made a mistake, and that's the first mistake I looked at it. Every mistake now is my mistake. I take the blame for everything that happened today. Everything you asked me about yesterday, I was not here."
Three Key Battles
Maswanganyi v Mthethwa
For the fifth time in just over a year, these two players will come into direct competition. After two clashes when Patrick Maswanganyi was at SuperSport United, they've met twice this season already. In the league meeting in round one, Mthethwa's Stellenbosch FC came on top, before the Buccaneers won 2-1 in an MTN8 semi-final first leg clash. "Tito", as Maswanganyi is fondly known, certainly won that particular clash with two assists from crosses in wider areas. The duo missed out on another meeting when "Ox", as Mthethwa is affectionately referred to in football circles, missed the MTN8 semi-final second leg as his move to Kaizer Chiefs was imminent. The latter was suspended for the Spurs clash and got a chance to put his feet up and fully focus on stopping Pirates' interplay between the lines. Maswanganyi has Thembinkosi Lorch back from injury to link up with, and crucially, interchange positions with. It will be very difficult for Mthethwa to deal with interchanging of positions from Bucs' front players. The curious thing is that Maswanganyi was used deeper alongside Miguel Timm against Richards Bay FC in the team's 4-4-2 formation. It is surely unthinkable to consider using him in that role against a team like the Glamour Boys.
Dolly v Hotto
Down the flank, we could see a very interesting game of cat and mouse between Deon Hotto and Keagan Dolly. With both Innocent Maela and Paseka Mako missing out through injury in recent weeks, the Namibian has been deputizing at left back. We saw him play that role last season, including in the Nedbank Cup semifinal against Chiefs as a substitute. His advanced positioning on that day led partly to Amakhosi's equaliser and he is definitely going to bomb forward constantly on Saturday. In fact, Melusi Buthelezi and the centre-backs aimed long diagonal kicks onto Hotto's head against the Natal Rich Boyz and he was good at flicking the ball on. With his ability to overlap at pace and deliver crosses, Dolly will have his work cut out to track those forays considering his own lack of match fitness after so many months on the sidelines. Conversely, the playmaker will come inside into pockets of space where Hotto will not be comfortable venturing. Few players can deliver in-swinging crosses like Dolly and if the Namibian doesn't track him, it could allow Chiefs to overload midfield and to drag a centre-back out of the back four.
Castillo v Timm
With Mthethwa suspended in midweek, we may see Edson Castillo a little deeper alongside Yusuf Maart on Wednesday night after this Soccer Laduma edition goes to print. When Ox returns at FNB Stadium, the Venezuelan may revert to a number eight role. With no natural number 10 in a 4-3-3 midfield of Mthethwa, Maart and Castillo, the latter may be tasked with pressing Miguel Timm. The latter has shaken off his early-season injury problems and will dictate affairs if Amakhosi don't actively close him down. In fact, Richards Bay got some joy by man-marking him during the build-up phase and forcing risky passes from Tapelo Xoki into Hotto or Maswanganyi. Aside from the slightly curious sight of Castillo possibly pushing very high to close down Timm, he may also see an opportunity to burst forward untracked. Against Spurs, Jarrod Moroole made an untracked run from deep and made it 2-0 for the Ikamva-based side. One league game earlier, it was Given Mashikinya firing home a shot from the edge of the box. Both of those type of goals are right up Castillo's alley and he is due a goal after going three games without threatening much.
Audition v question marks
Both coaches have a lot to gain and a lot to lose in this match. Realistically, neither is going to get anywhere near Sundowns in the title race and they've already blown their chances of even competing. However, another loss for Riveiro, especially after losing both league derbies last season, would see more and more doubts creep into the minds of the fans and the board. Bucs want to be more than just a cup team and they need to turn their season around. The ship might not be sinking but it has shown some leaks in recent weeks. Whereas for Johnson, he could put his name in the hat for the job on a longer-term basis with a win. He has said his only brief is to play the "Kaizer Chiefs way", so grinding out a victory isn't really an option. Amakhosi need to play on the front foot, look to dominate AND they need to win. A slightly strange match awaits us with two limping teams who may feel like their league season is already petering out with just a third of the season gone. Let's hope for goals, an open match and plenty of emotional football.
