Downs, Chiefs in first heavyweight duel of season

The 2022-23 DStv Premiership’s first ‘heavyweight duel’ will take place on Saturday as Mamelodi Sundowns welcome Kaizer Chiefs to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

Kick-off will be at 3pm CAT (SA, GMT+2) - Live on SuperSport PSL (channel 202), build-up starts at 2pm.

Sundowns come into the clash on the back of a 1-0 loss at home to TS Galaxy in midweek – a major shock given that the Tshwane side looked as ruthless and efficient as ever when they opened the season with a 2-0 win away to last season’s runners-up, Cape Town City, last Friday.

The Brazilians will no doubt be stung by their reverse at the hands of the Rockets, but will have no better platform to bounce back than a high-profile clash against a fellow heavyweight at a ground which should feature an electric atmosphere.

Chiefs, who opened their season on a low note with a 1-0 loss away to Royal AM last weekend, set things right in midweek when they romped to a 3-0 home win over Maritzburg United, featuring goals from new signing Ashley Du Preez, former Sundowns man Keagen Dolly and 18-year-old rising star Mduduzi Shabalala.

Defeating the Team of Choice will have boosted morale for the Amakhosi, though they will know that overcoming the reigning five-time champions in their own back yard will take an even more coherent and clinical performance than they managed on Tuesday.

BATTLES TO WATCH

Peter Shalulile v Zitha Kwinika

Sundowns’ Namibian striker is the most dangerous attacker in the DStv Premiership, but he will need to be at his mercurial best to slip away from the attentions of central defender Kwinika, who already looks very much at home in a Kaizer Chiefs jersey.

Ronwen Williams v Ashley Du Preez

Goalkeeper Williams was a marquee signing for Sundowns in the off-season and he will look to further underline his status as one of the best in his position by shutting out the likes of Du Preez, who will be high on confidence after his first Amakhosi goal this past midweek.

Neo Maema v Yusuf Maart

A classic midfield battle, with the classy Maema pitting his skills against the athleticism and energy of Maart. The winner of this personal duel will no doubt lay the platform for their team’s greater success in the 90 minutes at Loftus Versfeld.

WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena:

“What’s there to say? Seventy per cent ball possession, 18 chances, four big chances, and then they get two chances – the one that they take on the transition, and then the other one with Vila [Sibusiso Vilakazi] one-on-one with Ronwen [Williams],” said Mokwena after their defeat to Galaxy.

He added, “There’s no time in football. You’ve got to win matches, we are in the sport of winning matches as coaches. Our job is to win matches. The performance [against Galaxy] was not good. We had too many players that were struggling with the touch, the intensity of the game.

“And that’s our responsibility, to make sure the team is prepared. So, when the team isn’t prepared, we don’t have enough hunger, we don’t have enough aggression, then we have to look at our preparation because there’s a big game on Saturday.”

Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane:

“Ja, look, you know sometimes football is a funny game, I think the past game we played very well compared to today and we lost the game,” Zwane said in the wake of the 3-0 win over Maritzburg.

“We played in patches but we were clinical in front of goals and it could have been more.

“But I'm so proud of mostly the youngsters, you know who came on and kept the very same tempo, they took the game to the opposition because we were worried that they dropped the tempo at some point.”

He added, “I think our defence did very well, led by Zitha Kwinika. What is important [heading into the Sundowns game] is us keeping a clean sheet.”

Previous league line-ups

Sundowns’ line-up from their 1-0 loss to Galaxy on August 10: Williams, Mudau, De Reuck, Onyango, Modiba, Maema (Kapinga 79’), Mokoena (Jali 64’), Domingo (Mbule 64’), Zwane (Sirino 69’), Kutumela (Nasir 64’), Shalulile

Chiefs’ line-up from their 3-0 win over Maritzburg on August 9: Bvuma, Solomons, Ngezana (Ngcobo 93’), Kwinika, Frosler, Matlou (Ngcobo 46’), Sithebe (Blom 80’), Maart, Du Preez (Shabalala 86’), Dolly (Sekgota 80’), Billiat.

DID YOU KNOW?

- Chiefs’ midweek 3-0 triumph over Maritzburg United was the first time they have won a game by a margin of three or goals since beating Chippa United 4-0 in October 2021.

- Sundowns and Chiefs drew 1-1 when they last met in May 2022 – this result broke a run of six straight league meetings between the teams in which no draws were recorded.

- These teams have not played to a goalless draw against each other since the second half of the 2017/18 season.

- Sundowns have managed just one win from their last five home league matches against Chiefs.

- Since Chiefs won their last major piece of silverware – the PSL title in 2014/15 – Sundowns have claimed six PSL titles (including an unprecedented five in a row since the 2017/18 season), three Nedbank Cups, two Telkom Knockout Cups, one MTN8, one CAF Champions League and one CAF Super Cup.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

In head-to-head stats, Sundowns and Chiefs have met in 74 league matches dating back as far as 1985. The Amakhosi have claimed 29 wins compared to 24 for the Brazilians, while 21 games have been drawn.

Sundowns have recorded 16 wins, nine draws and 12 defeats from their 37 matches as hosts in this rivalry.

Last season, the Brazilians took four points off the Amakhosi in the teams’ two league meetings, with a 2-0 home win in September 2021 (thanks to goals from Grant Kekana and Peter Shalulile) and a 1-1 draw in Soweto in May 2022 (Aubrey Modiba have ‘Downs the lead, before an equaliser from Phathutshedzo Nange).

LAST 10 LEAGUE RESULTS

Season Result Scorers

2017/18 Sundowns 1-2 Chiefs Zwane (pen); Ngezana, Parker
2017/18 Chiefs 0-0 Sundowns
2018/19 Sundowns 1-1 Chiefs Nascimento (pen); Mphahlele
2018/19 Chiefs 1-2 Sundowns Katsande; Laffor, Maboe
2019/20 Sundowns 0-2 Chiefs Nurkovic 2
2019/20 Chiefs 0-1 Sundowns Sirino
2020/21 Chiefs 0-3 Sundowns Shalulile, Erasmus, Zwane (pen)
2020/21 Sundowns 1-2 Chiefs Sirino; Lebusa (og), Zuma
2021/22 Sundowns 2-0 Chiefs Kekana, Shalulile
2021/22 Chiefs 1-1 Sundowns Nange; Modiba