Orlando Pirates, Innocent “Inno” Mncwango, and Kaizer Chiefs, Phumlani “BMX” Mkhize, unanimously agreed on the importance of the Soweto home game for both teams for different reasons.
Pirates will face Chiefs in the Betway Premiership match of the second round this season, which is eagerly awaited by many football lovers in Mzansi tomorrow at 3 pm, at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg.
Coming to this match, Pirates are in a hot fight for the Premier League title, they are still sitting at the top of the log with 58 points, closely followed by Mamelodi Sundowns in second place with 57, Chiefs are in third place with 46 points.
The seriousness of the Betway title race
The Blacks clash with the FNB Kings, while the Sandawanas will clash with Richards Bay FC in another match scheduled tomorrow at 5.30pm, at the Mhlathuze Sports Complex, Richards Bay.
The results of both these games may give a clue to the ongoing Premiership league rivalry between Zimnyama and Sandawana.
The setback in some of the recent matches, where they tied 2-2 with Richards Bay, led many to think that their chances of becoming champions of the league were over.
However, the match between Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC in the middle of the week once again raised a spark of hope that this team from Orlando can still end the Brazilians’ preoccupation in the local league.
If Magebula’s do not lose points again, it will greatly reduce the chance of becoming champions for the first time since they finished in 2012.
“As a team competing in the league, it is very important for Pirates to win this match at home in Soweto in the dark because their defeat or draw will end their chance of winning the league,” said Mncwango who was part of the Zimnyama team that won the Caf Champions League in 1995.
“Losing points to Sundowns (on Wednesday) is like luck for Pirates, so they have to beat Chiefs, win the remaining (four) games, and pray for luck to win the league by Sundowns winning one of the remaining games as they won in Stellenbosch.
“Pirates still has a chance to win the league statistically, and they are playing well at the moment, but they need luck. Apart from that, he needs to win this home game to show that he is the dominant bull among the Soweto home team.”
The voice of the Chiefs in the battle for the title
According to statistics, Chiefs still have a chance to climb to the top of the Betway Premiership as they have 46 points in 24 games. If they can win all the remaining six, including the home team, they can finish with 64 points.
In order to win the title, Pirates and Sundowns need to beat the mud in their remaining games since they have 58 and 57 points, respectively.
What cannot be denied is that Amakhosi will have a say in the battle for the title as they will face both the leading teams on the log.
Apart from the clash with Pirates tomorrow afternoon, they will face Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on May 6.
According to Mkhize, who ran for Makhosi after he left Zimnyama at the beginning of 2000, Amakhosi also need to start by defeating Pirates in order to regain their dignity.
“Chiefs did not win the cup this season, so finishing in third place and going to play in the Caf Confed is something that will restore hope to the fans about what they can expect next season,” said Mkhize.
“However, the most important thing for Chiefs is to win this home game in Soweto, because their victory in this game will not only increase their chances of finishing in third place but will also restore their reputation in this home game.
“Even if the Pirates are in form, I don’t see them repeating the Chiefs with the goals they scored in the first round, the Chiefs definitely need to regain their dignity this time.”
In the first round of the season in February, Zimnyama defeated Amakhosi 3-0 with goals from Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa.