South African football legend Teko Modise has shared his take on the upcoming Betway Premiership showdown between Kaizer Chiefs and his former team, Mamelodi Sundowns.
All eyes will be at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium on Saturday, 1 March when Masandawana reignites their rivalry with Chiefs while aiming to extend their lead to 18 points.
The Brazilians are on a history-making run having won seven league titles in succession and are in pole position to secure their eighth and a total of 15 league trophies.
Despite a slow start to the season that resulted in the departure of former head coach Manqoba Mngqithi and the appointment of Miguel Cardoso, the team has found their stride. They are currently leading the league standings and have secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League.
This rival stems from decades ago, one of the earliest memories is the 1998 Rothmans Cup final where Chiefs triumphed 2-1 on penalties following questionable decisions by the referee which prevented Masandawana from lifting the cup.
Two decades later Sundowns had their revenge when they clinched the league title on the final day. Chiefs had been at the helm of the log standings for the greater part of the season but were held to a 1-1 draw by Baroka while Sundowns defeated Black Leopard 3-0 to go two points clear ahead of them.
“These two teams don’t really like each other that much historically, even though there was transfer business conducted in the past between the two clubs,” said Modise to Hollywoodbets Sports.
Lately, Sundowns have made winning the league their bread and butter and have been regular participants in the CAF Champions League having won it in 2016 while Chiefs have suffered a significant drop which has led to a decade-long trophy drought.
“Which one are we going to witness this coming Saturday, I’m not sure, but I believe a few players might show up even though I’m not sure which players will be playing. It’s even unfortunate to be saying that about a big team that has been building for the last six to seven years.
“At some point, they need to be in a position where they are competing for something. It’s just unfortunate that they are meeting Sundowns at this time, at this period where they are struggling with getting results.
“So, it’s just a matter of which Kaizer Chiefs will show up and I just hope it’s not going to be one of those games where they are on the receiving end of a huge score-line,” he concluded.
The Brazilians dominated Chiefs 4-0 during their last meeting extending their unbeaten run to eleven matches. The Glamour Boys were last victorious against Sundowns in 2021 when they salvaged a 2-1 win in a league match.