Chiefs confirm major injury blow on eve of Soweto derby

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Kaizer Chiefs come into this Saturday’s Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates as underdogs, but the Glamour Boys will still hope they can find a successful recipe to claim a much-needed victory over their arch-rivals.

Unfortunately they will head into this clash without the services of talented 20-year-old Wandile Duba, who is currently the league joint-top scorer for Chiefs, having scored four goals together with Mduduzi Shabalala.

Ranga Chivaviro is available, but coach Nasreddine Nabi won’t be able to call on injured Ashley Du Preez or new signing Tashreeq Morris, who is still serving a suspension from the red card he picked up against Sekhukhune United while with SuperSport United.

Another new recruit, Glody Lillepo, “will only be eligible to join the team once his work permit is approved by the relevant authorities”, and it doesn’t seem that will be in time for the Soweto derby.

Unfortunately for Chiefs, Nabi confirmed the injury to Duba is a fairly long-term one: “About Duba, he will definitely be out,” he said during the official pre-match press conference. According to our medical team he will be out for six weeks. And that will be the only information about the squad.”

Chiefs and Pirates are ready for the next instalment of the famed Soweto derby

The roots of this fierce rivalry trace back to 1970, the year the two Soweto giants first clashed. Since Kaizer Chiefs’ inception 55 years ago, this fixture has evolved into a fan-fueled spectacle, bringing communities together and generating passionate debates.

Over the previous 106 league meetings, Chiefs hold the upper hand, boasting 45 victories compared to Pirates’ 25. The intensity of their encounters is further highlighted by 36 drawn matches.

Looking beyond league meetings, when including cup encounters, the teams have fought it out a total of 180 times, with Kaizer Chiefs’ 74 victories dominating historically over Pirates’ 47, with 54 draws and five abandonments, owing to various circumstance.