Soweto – and the country at large – will be divided as Kaizer Chiefs and their historical foes Orlando Piratesclash twice over back-to-back weekends, first in the 108th league meeting between the sides on Saturday, 3 May, at the FNB Stadium, and then a week later in the Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday, 10 May.
The initial focus will be on the teams’ first meeting, in the league, on Saturday.
Kaizer Chiefs are on a three-game losing run against Orlandoo Pirates and will be looking to turn that around and record their 46th league victory over them.
Prior to losing their last three league derbies, Amakhosi had won five in succession, which was a record in the PSL era.
First league derby
Amakhosi were the winners of the first league derby on 24 April 1971, and as the league rivalry between the teams stretches into its 57th year, Kaizer Chiefs will look to continue their dominance over Orlando Pirates.
Of the 107 previous clashes, Kaizer Chiefs have managed to win 45 games and Orlando Pirates 25, with a further 36 games drawn.
In addition to township bragging rights at stake, there is a lot riding on this game as Kaizer Chiefs have the chance to have a major say in their rivals’ bid to catch Mamelodi Sundowns in league title race.
Orlando Pirates are also coming off the back of elimination from the CAF Champions League and will be looking to bounce back from that disappointment.
Kaizer Chiefs, though, will have no sympathy and in the first of back-to-back ‘cup finals’, Amakhosi will go all out to win and take the psychological edge with them into the Nedbank Cup final.
While Kaizer Chiefs’ recent from may not be what Amakhosi fans would have liked, history has shown that form does not count for much in this game and the Glamour Boys will be hungry to claim the three points and put themselves in line to qualify for the MTN8 next season.
Overall, this is the 58th derby league meeting between the teams since 1996/97.
Over their previous 57 league clashes since the start of the PSL era, Kaizer Chiefs have won 18 games, with Orlando Pirates managing 15 wins, with 24 ending all square.
While a number of games between the teams have ended in draws since 1996/97, the script has been torn up recently, with the last 11 league clashes producing a winner.
All of these games been decided by a single goal.
Kaizer Chiefs have also lost just one of their last six league derbies against Orlando Pirates at home, drawing three games and winning three.
Last Soweto derby in charge
The game also marks the final time Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro faces Kaizer Chiefs in a league derby.
He will leave them at the end of the season.
Saturday’s game is sold out and fans without tickets should refrain from travelling to the venue.
Fans attending should keep informed through official communication channels for updates regarding logistics.
The next two weekends will see Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates meet in two different competitions, it will be the first time since the 2011/12 season that they will meet in different competitions in successive weekends.
Back then, Orlando Pirates defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the MTN8 final on 10 September 2011, and Kaizer Chiefs won the league meeting 2-1 on 17 May.
In between those games, both sides played midweek league matches.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Who will walk away victorious on Saturday?
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