Kaizer Chiefs host Mamelodi Sundowns in a crunch DStv Premiership clash on Thursday, where The Brazilians will be crowned league champions with victory over their old rivals.
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We round up the numbers on one of the classic clashes in South African football.
2 – Sundowns are champions elect, but also already mathematically guaranteed of a top-two place in the DStv Premiership, which means they will play in the CAF Champions league for an 11th successive season.
4 – Chiefs and Sundowns’ biggest victory in this fixture in both 4-0. Chiefs claimed wins by that margin in 1987 and 1992, while Sundowns’ success was much more recent – the 2022/23 season.
5 – The quartet of Donald Khuse, Chippa Molatedi, Thabo Mooki and Siyabonga Nomvethe have each scored five goals for Chiefs against Sundowns, the most in the National Soccer League (NSL) era.
7 – The most number of goals scored in a single fixture between the two sides. That was in a thrilling 4-3 win for Chiefs in the 2004/05 campaign.
7 – Former Sundowns forward Lovemore Chafunya and current star Peter Shalulile have scored the most goals for the club against Chiefs in the NSL era with seven each. Chafunya’s were netted between 1985 and 1991. Shalulile bagged a brace in the second leg of the MTN8 semifinals this season to also move to seven goals against the AmaKhosi.
7 – Chiefs have the joint seventh best home record this season with 21 points from 12 games (W6 D3 L3 GF12 GA7). They have lost to Cape Town City, Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC, all by 1-0 scorelines.
Kaizer Chiefs' May 2024 #DStvPrem Fixtures ❤️✌️#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/UTa2D4Grcs
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) May 1, 2024
8 – Chiefs are currently in eighth place and on course for the MTN8 next season, but they are only two points ahead of AmaZulu in 12th, showing how quickly they could drop down the table.
8 – Sundowns have only conceded eight goals in 23 games this season, still on course to break the 30-game era record for least goals conceded, which is currently 11 by Chiefs in the 2003/04 campaign.
10 – The last 10 meetings have seen Sundowns lead the head-to-head 6-1 with three matches drawn.
18 – Sundowns are on a run of 47 games unbeaten (W36 D11) in the DStv Premiership since a 2-1 loss at SuperSport United in September 2022. They are hoping to keep up their ‘Invincibles’ season – going the whole 2023/24 campaign without a defeat.
26 – The number of points that currently separate Sundowns and Chiefs in the league table. That could be 29 by the end of Thursday …
26 – No-one has taken more points on their travels this season than Sundowns (26), even though they have only played 10 games on the road. Their only blemishes were draws at Cape Town City (0-0) and Moroka Swallows (2-2).
34 – Sundowns have a +34 goal-difference so far this campaign. Chiefs have +1.
41 – Chiefs have recorded 41 wins against Sundowns since the formation of the NSL in 1985. The Brazilians are closing the gap fast through and have 33 victories, to go with 32 draws.
42 – Sundowns have scored 42 goals this season, the most in the DStv Premiership. Sundowns have exactly half that number, despite having played two games more.
2017 – Chiefs have not recorded a home win against Sundowns since April 2017, more than seven years ago. In their seven matches played at home since then, there have been three draws and four defeats.
Up next, A trip to FNB Stadium to fight for 3️⃣ important points! 👆
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) May 1, 2024
⚽ Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns
📅 2 May
⏰ 19H30
🏟 FNB Stadium
🏆 DStv Premiership #Sundowns #DStvPrem pic.twitter.com/LN5WEZbYhO