Kaizer Chiefs have a chance to give some assistance to Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership title race when they visit Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Stadium tomorrow evening.
Chiefs’ unwilling status as title deciders
Helping their Soweto rivals win a trophy is almost certainly not on the bucket list of any Chiefs fan or player. But a victory for Chiefs at Masandawana will put Pirates in pole position for the title, provided the Buccaneers win at Stellenbosch this evening.
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“We don’t care who wins the league. It’s their (Sundowns and Pirates’) problem,” said Kaizer Chiefs co-head coach Khalil Ben Youssef after Amakhosi had picked up a 1-1 draw with Orlando Pirates on April 26.
That result has enabled Sundowns to open up a five point lead at the top of the table, though Pirates do have a game in hand.
Chiefs are officially out of the title race, but have a strong chance of finishing third and making it into next season’s CAF Confederation Cup.
Amakhosi are five points clear of fourth-placed AmaZulu, with four games left to play.
They need a lift in form, however, having picked up just two points from a possible nine. In midweek, Chiefs were stunned 2-0 by Siwelele, ending a run of seven matches without defeat.
Chiefs did manage a goalless draw with Sundowns at FNB Stadium at the end of August. And they can also draw on their victory over Sundowns in last season’s Nedbank Cup semifinal.
Miguel Cardoso’s Brazilians, however, are in ominous form, and last lost to Chiefs in the Premiership just over five years ago.
Since that 2-1 win for Chiefs at Loftus on April 25, 2021, Sundowns have won seven league games against Chiefs and drawn the other two.
In those nine matches, Sundowns have scored 18 goals, while Chiefs have netted on just four occasions.
Amakhosi’s best season for some time
Still, Chiefs are having their best Premiership season since finishing second under Ernst Middendorp in the 2019/20 campaign.
They will go into tomorrow’s game without any suspensions and with a fairly clean bill of health.
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Even with eight consecutive Premiership titles, Sundowns will be feeling the pressure, as shown in some edgy moments towards the end of Sunday’s win over Polokwane City.
If Chiefs can find the kind of form that recently saw them go on a run of five consecutive Premiership wins, they might just have a chance.
