Sundowns v Kaizer Chiefs: what the stats say

This is a rare tie between these two sides in the MTN8, strange given how they generally qualify each year but have been kept apart in the draw for most of the previous 16 years since the competition was first played under its current guise.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki is seeking his first piece of silverware as a head coach following his side’s impressive 2-1 quarterfinal away win at Cape Town City. Mamelodi Sundowns beat Moroka Swallows 1-0 in their quarterfinal.

The first leg of this tie finished 1-1 after Chiefs midfielder Edson Castillo scored his second goal in the competition this season and continued his fine start to life in South Africa, before Khuliso Mudau headed in an equaliser three minutes into injury-time at the end of the game.

Sundowns have been to the MTN8 semifinals on eight previous occasions since 2008, but have come away victors only three times, another side who have struggled with this stage of the competition in the past. They beat local rivals SuperSport United in 2008 on their way to final defeat to Chiefs, Chippa United in 2016 and Lamontville Golden Arrows in 2021.

But in there are five defeats for Sundowns – to Orlando Pirates (2011 & 2022), Moroka Swallows (2012), Cape Town City (2018) and SuperSport United (2019). It is quite a dismal record for a side who have been so clinical in the last decade. Their 2021 trophy victory is their only one in the last 16 years.

Chiefs’ record against 2023 semifinal opponents Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 is mixed, they were knocked out on penalties in the quarterfinals in 2021 and by a thumping 4-1 margin at the same stage in 2012. But they did triumph in the 2008 final after winning on penalties when the teams played to a goalless draw in Durban.

Chiefs have not won a trophy since they lifted the league title at the end of the 2014/15 season. It is the longest barren run in the club’s illustrious history. Their last final appearance was in 2015 when they lost to Ajax Cape Town in the decider.

Chiefs may be the most successful team in the MTN8 competition with 15 wins, but the last time they tasted success was in 2014. That is also the longest they have gone without lifting the top eight since the competition was first played in 1972.

The AmaKhosi have reached the semifinal stage on 10 previous occasions since 2008, advancing in four of those, though their record most recently has been poor. They have reached the semis in three of the last four times they have competed in the tournament and lost all of those, to SuperSport United (2018), Orlando Pirates (2020) and AmaZulu (2022).