Chiefs face nemesis Supersport

WHAT a pity that it will be hosted at an empty Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium tomorrow!

The clash between Supersport United and Kaizer Chiefs has become one of the mouthwatering fixtures in the top-flight calendar. It deserved a sold-out tag at the ticket office.

It’s been 18 months since spectators have been prohibited from stadiums, following the outbreak of Covid-19. But after the relaxation of the lockdown restrictions, most supporters would have wanted to be back for a match of this calibre. The PSL has, however, delayed things a little saying they’ll consider a ‘pilot project' in due course.

That's why the discerning supporters of the two teams will have to watch the game on the box from the comfort of their preferred places tomorrow afternoon.

Supersport, interestingly, have had an upper hand whenever they clash with Amakhosi - the most beloved and successful team in the land. Just last season, Supersport ran the rule over Chiefs, claiming full spoils away and at home.

Such results enabled the Tshwane giants to a fifth-place finish on the standings, while Chiefs managed to finish eighth. Supersport have built on as they occupy the second spot on the log standings thus far. They are only the second team in the top-flight – behind city rivals Mamelodi Sundowns – that are yet to lose in domestic football this season.

In the league, Supersport have won four matches and drawn three. That feat has come in spite of the club’s limited resources. Marred by the pandemic, Supersport have done little to bolster their squad – with their notable signing free agent Buhle Mkhwanazi, while promoting a host of youngsters.

They’ll take pride from the fact that the seniors have also stepped-up. Thamsanqa Gabuza has been full of life, filling in the void left by the injured marksman Bradley Grobler. In their last five matches, Gabuza has scored three goals while he’s held the hand of youngsters such as Gamphani Lungu.

Supersport’s dangerous attack could prove to be a nightmare for Chiefs’ defence which continues to be suspect. Even though the recorded an empathic 4-0 victory over Chippa United in their last outing, Chiefs had nervy moments. They were either saved from conceding by some exceptional goalkeeping from Daniel Akpeyi or by Chippa’s bluntness.

Coach Stuart Baxter, though, will probably know it will take some time before they get it right defensively, unlike up front. Highly–rated defenders Thabani Dube and Njabulo Ngcobo are still finding their feet at the club – as they continue to be rotated. But what will please Baxter is that long-time buddies Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly are on form. The duo of the once popular combo, the ‘CBD’ (which included injured Leonardo Castro) rolled back the years against Chippa after combining for the first three goals before out-of-favour striker Lazarous Kambole completed the 4-0 rout.

While the victory pushed Chiefs further up the standings, some discerning supporters reckoned it was too quick to read into the result. That’s why Baxter will be eager to prove that they’ve turned the corner against Supersport.

Meanwhile, a PSL side that will need a result the most is Cape Town City. The Citizens will host Golden Arrows today at DHL Stadium with one eye on the MTN8 final where they’ll face Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium next Saturday. Despite a decent outing from Eric Tinkler’s men in the MTN8 competition, they’ve been blowing hot and cold in the league. They are winless in their last four matches – with their last outing being a defeat to rookies Sekhukhune United.

With most of their key players coming back from injuries, Tinkler will be hoping that his troops fire on all cylinders against Arrows. The latter have played some scintillating football but have been unfortunate at times. The proof was Wednesday’s missed penalty by Michael Gumede against Sundowns, resulting in them losing by 1-0.

Arrows coach Lehlohonolo Seema will take positives from the fact that his team has been impressive in build-ups, with players such as Pule Mmodi standing out.

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