The Soweto giants enter the derby on the back of consecutive defeats — Kaizer Chiefs suffering back-to-back losses to Stellenbosch in both the league and Nedbank Cup, while Orlando Pirates crashed out of the same competition against second-tier leaders Casric Stars.
A victory for Amakhosi puts them in third position on the Betway Premiership table, five points behind table toppers Mamelodi Sundowns with 17 games played by both sides. A draw keeps Chiefs fourth.
Bucs will eclipse Downs at the top of the table with a victory or even a draw although they will be weary of the inferior goal difference
Available players
Amakhosi will welcome back a few players into the fold who have been unavailable in recent times, with Thabo Cele making a second half appearance in the loss against Stellies while the likes of Ethan Chislett made his debut for Chiefs.
Meanwhile, Pirates fans will be eager to see if the likes of Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa can make it back into the matchday squad after being unavailable for the last few matches.
It will be interesting to see if both sides tinker with their starting line ups and squads following some disappointing results last week.
Petersen vs Chaine
Both goalkeepers have played an important role in their respective team’s fortunes this season and boast the greatest number of clean sheets this season between the two of them.
AmaBhakaniya and Bafana goalkeeper Sipho Chaine currently leads the league with `12 clean sheets with rival Brandon Petersen on 11.
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Chaine has face Chiefs five times in previous league matches, winning four and losing once, conceding five goals with one clean sheet.
Meanwhile, Petersen will be looking to keep his third straight clean sheet against Bucs since joining Amakhosi.
Fatigue factor
Orlando Pirates have played a total of eight matches since football resumed locally after the break for AFCON 2025, winning four matches drawing twice including the penalty shootout loss to Casric Stars.
Meanwhile Chiefs have played eight matches in all competitions in 2026, winning five games and losing three times.
Goalscoring woes
Both sides have struggled to score more than two goals in a single match since the start of the month of February despite creating many opportunities.
Chiefs have scored nine goals in eight matches since the start of the new year, failing to score three goals in a single match in all of those encounters while Pirates have scored more than twice on one occasion this year.
Coaches from both sides have lamented the lack of clinical finishing from their respective teams in 2026, leading to their respective cup exits.