Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns are set to reignite their rivalry when they meet at FNB Stadium on Saturday, November 2 in the Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal match. These two sides are no strangers to each other having met last month in a highly competitive league match that ended in favour of Sundowns.
To win (90 minutes)
Chiefs 17/10
Draw 2/1
Sundowns 15/10
Kaizer Chiefs
Chiefs showed that they mean business when they rolled over SuperSport United 4-0 to make their way to the quarterfinal, Gaston Sirino, Yusuf Maart, Ranga Chivaviro and Ashley Du Preez were all on target.
The Glamour Boys faced United in a league match a week later where Gavin Hunt made a number of changes which paid off as his side managed to hand Chiefs their second league defeat after the match ended 1-0. Newly signed Tashreeq Morris scored the only goal of the match.
In the aftermath, Nabi stressed the importance of fan support during difficult times.
“We understand the significance of our fans; there is no Kaizer Chiefs without them,” he stated, reflecting on the team’s struggle to deliver results. This project is a process, and while we enjoyed a big win last week, we know there will be ups and downs.”
The Soweto giants will get a chance to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Magesi FC on Wednesday before they head on to host Sundowns on Saturday.
The revival of Amakhosi looks to be going well under the leadership of Nasreddine Nabi who recently bolstered his technical team by bringing in Cedric Kaze to fill in the assistant coach position. The pair had previously worked together during their stint at Young Africans.
Kaizer Chiefs put on a show in their recent meeting with Downs, they scored early and created a number of chances that they could not convert to goals. Despite going down 2-1, they controlled the game and looked more alive in the second half. They registered 12 shots at goal and one of their goals was ruled off-side.
The stakes will be higher in this match as a win for Chiefs will be a giant step towards ending their decade-long trophy drought. Edson Castillo has been ruled out after breaking his fibula in their match with SuperSport.
Mamelodi Sundowns
The pressure is starting to mount on Manqoba Mngqithi following his semi-final exit in the MTN8 Cup where he was knocked out by Stellenbosch FC in back-to-back 1-0 defeats. Mngqithi’s side bounced back and demolished Golden Arrows in their Carling Knockout Cup last 16 match.
Sundowns made their presence known in the early stages of the match with Thapelo Morena scoring in the 11th minute followed by Iqraam Rayners’ goal in the 27th minute. Second-half goals from Mothobi Mvala, Peter Shalulile, and Kutlwano Letlhaku added the final nail to the coffin defeating Arrows 5-0 after regulation time.
The hopes of finishing the season without a league defeat were crushed by Polokwane City who managed to survive and grind out a hard-fought 1-0 victory. They are now second on the log with 12 points, trailing three points behind league leaders Orlando Pirates.
Acknowledging Polokwane City’s resilience, Mngqithi said, “Credit to the opponents; they fought hard and were strong on set pieces. We knew they’d challenge us, and that’s why we tried to match their aerial strength.
“We didn’t take them lightly, but sometimes, despite having our best players, things don’t go your way.”
Another tough match awaits Sundowns as they are set for a meeting with Cape Town City on Wednesday before they head to their showdown with Chiefs.
Prediction: Back Chiefs to win at 17/10
Head-to-head stats are on the visitor’s side; Chiefs last earned a victory against Sundowns in April 2021 where they escaped with a 2-1 victory. A lot has changed, and Chiefs look more competitive under Nabi. They will be aiming to avoid another loss and should be more competitive in this match.
Written by @siphesihlesoni.