By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Orlando Pirates welcome Kaizer Chiefs to Orlando Stadium on Saturday for the second round of the DStv Premiership Soweto Derby.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 15:30..
Pirates extended their unbeaten run to four league matches but played to an 11th draw in the top flight this season when they were held 0-0 at home by Cape Town City on 2 March.
It was a second successive goalless stalemate for the team in black and white, having also been held by Golden Arrows at home in mid-February.
Pirates have claimed 20 points from 11 home matches this season. Their only defeat as hosts came against Mamelodi Sundowns back in September last year.
Chiefs, meanwhile, returned to winning form in the Premiership with a 1-0 victory away to Baroka FC on 26 February, with Khama Billiat scoring deep in injury time.
The team in gold and black had drawn their previous league match 0-0 away to Cape Town City, and also exited the Nedbank Cup after a 1-0 loss at the hands of TS Galaxy.
Chiefs have claimed 16 points from 10 away matches this season, with their four wins on the road coming against Baroka, Swallows FC, Maritzburg United and SuperSport United.
The teams are right in the midst of a tough battle to end in second place behind runaway leaders Sundowns.
The runner-up spot is currently held by Royal AM on 33 points from 20 matches, with Chiefs in third on 32 points from 18 matches and Pirates in fourth on 32 points from 21 matches.
Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi:
“[We should have] taken the chances in the first half for the amount of dominance that I thought we had,” said Ncikazi after a second straight goalless stalemate.
“Playing well but not taking chances that we created, it’s not going to give us results. But I can’s fault the players for their effort.”
The Bucs mentor is concerned that their rivals will have a freshness advantage: “The sad part for me is that they played on Saturday, we played on Sunday against the team from Swaziland [Royal Leopard in the CAF Confederation Cup], played again [on Wednesday] and then we’re playing [Chiefs] on Saturday against a well-rested team. It is what it is, we can’t change it, we just have to find a way of dealing with what happens on Saturday.”
Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter:
“We did it the hard way. Every three strikes should result in a goal so we should have been 3-0 up. You have to give the lads credit because they were working very hard and kept their faith in what they were doing, “said Baxter in the wake of their last-gasp 1-0 win over Baroka.
“The lads should get a pat on the back because traditionally on the game before the derby your mind is already on the derby. I think that the concentration was good and now we can look forward to the preparations to take on Pirates.”
While remaining coy on his secret, Baxter told reporters on Thursday that the team which plays “normal” usually comes out victorious at the end of 90 minutes.
“I’m not going to profess that I have any secret formulas; I think that is a recipe for disaster,” Baxter said.
“Every time I go into a derby, then you try to perform your best on the day; the team that usually wins the derby is the team that plays normal, not the team that plays outstanding.
“The derbies are usually anxious, and they (the players) are usually worried, looking at the clock and usually over-hyped and get red cards and make decisions that lose the game.
“So, the team that plays normal are usually the team that wins the game.
“We will try and be inspired by the occasion and keep our feet on the ground and keeping our motivation at the right level.