By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will take centre stage for this weekend’s DStv Premiership action.
It remains the marquee match of the season in South African football, even if there is little for the protagonists to scrap over.
In Saturday’s case, however, there is a substantive list. Not only the bragging rights that comes with derby success but also the chase for second place in the league that will earn a berth in next seasons’ African Champions League.
There is also the need to find more consistent form as the second round of the Nedbank Cup approaches with both clubs looking for silverware.
Pirates have already won in this campaign, taking the MTN8 in November, but Chiefs are in their eighth season without a trophy and keen to turn around a steady slide from grace.
South Africa’s most anticipated fixture is now 53 years old now and Saturday’s clash at Soccer City is the 177th official meeting between the two sides.
Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane has expressed that he is not worried about the implications of what his side’s result in the Soweto derby will have on his future.
The 49-year-old mentor has come under fire recently as a spate of inconsistency hampers the club’s ambition for the 2022/2023 season.
However, Zwane has dismissed any questions surrounding his immediate future and whether their next result against their rivals will signal his exit.
“As far as I know, I’m the head coach of Kaizer Chiefs and I’ve always been saying this that the club has always had a plan, we’ve got a plan,” he told members of the media.
“I’m not going into this game worried about my job or worried about any other things, the focus is on playing this game and making sure the players apply themselves correctly.”
Pirates coach Jose Riveiro, who will be watching the game from the stands because of suspension, was calm when asked about how they’ve navigated the pressure of their losing streak against their rivals, preferring to look at the magnitude of the game and how it will be received across the world.
He said there’s a way to play as best as they can with how they want to approach the game.
“Those are the types of analyses we should be doing at the end of a game … it does not mean much when we’re facing a game like this,” Riveiro said.
“It’s going to be a rough game like the one we played in the Carling Cup. I don’t think there will be surprises in how the games are approached by both teams.
“We’re trying to do things our own way and we’re just three points ahead of Chiefs, but I try not to be focused on the result, but on what the players can do better and improve.
“The game will be a fantastic opportunity for us to show our level because this is one of the only games I knew before I started coaching here.
DStv Premiership weekend fixtures
Friday 24 February
19:30: SuperSport United v Maritzburg United
Saturday 25 February
15:30: Kaizer Chiefs v Orlando Pirates
17:30: Sekhukhune United v Cape Town City
17:30: Richards Bay v Stellenbosch FC
20:00: AmaZulu v Royal AM
Sunday 26 February
15:30: Chippa United v Swallows FC.