THE final stretch of the season still carries a Soweto derby on April 26 among other mouth-watering fixtures.
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YOU have got to love South Africa’s relationship with Kaizer Chiefs; it is often said that when the Mighty Amakhosi are in a slump — which has been the official state of affairs in recent seasons —the country’s football following takes a knock.
It has been also said that when Amakhosi hit a purple patch, Mzansi’s happiness index shoots up so much that even opposition fans find themselves engulfed by a sudden rush of enthusiasm for football in general.
And so it is that, currently, Amakhosi ajabulile (Amakhosi are ecstatic). How can they not be? Their 4-1 drubbing of Magesi in Polokwane on Wednesday night handed them their fifth Betway Premiership win in a row.
The last time Chiefs won five consecutive league matches was during the 2019/20 season, when they were chasing the title under Ernst Middendorp. Strangely — and perhaps they can blame the Covid-19 hiatus for the halt that led to their demise — they ended up losing it to Mamelodi Sundowns on the final day.
In fact, during that season, after recording five consecutive league wins, they went on to win eight in a row. Another record that surfaced on Wednesday night is that it is the first time in the PSL era that Amakhosi have won five consecutive league games while scoring two or more goals per match.
Marvellous, isn’t it?
After the match in Polokwane, the statement on the Chiefs website ended with the words: “This fantastic outcome will keep everyone at the Club focused on putting in a similar shift at the same venue against Polokwane City at the weekend to build confidence going into the Soweto Derby the following weekend.”
And that is where matters get really interesting; tickets for the April 26 Soweto Derby were sold out as soon as they went on sale in mid-March.
The question is: with their newfound form, are Chiefs capable of exacting revenge on their bitter hometown rivals, Orlando Pirates, after they were humiliated 3-0 in the reverse fixture on February 28?
Pirates themselves are not out of form, but many will mistake their failure to keep up with the tempo of Sundowns in the title race as some kind of slump. That might be the biggest mistake in the minds of the Chiefs’ players, coaches, and supporters ahead of the last Soweto Derby of the season.
My advice to Amakhosi is this: keep your feet on the ground, for you misjudge Pirates’ form at your own peril.