Marumo Gallants and Kaizer Chiefs will meet on the opening day of the season on Saturday.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the first league meeting between the teams since Gallants were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season it will be their fifth overall.
This will be the fifth league encounter between the teams of their previous four clashes Chiefs have one win, while the other three games have ended in draws.
The teams first met in the 2021-22 season with Gallants at home the game ended 0-0, their second clash that season saw Chiefs win 1-0 at home with the games only goal being scored by Khama Billiat.
In the 2022-23 season both games between the teams ended in 1-1 draws, first with Gallants as hosts at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Mahlatse Makudebela headed Gallants ahead on 12 minutes, Zitha Kwinika levelled for Chiefs in the 84th minute.
In their second clash in 2022-23 Ashley Du Preez opened the scoring in the 6th minute for Kaizer Chiefs, current Chiefs striker Ranga Chivaviro levelled for Gallants in the 36th minute.
As the game ended 1-1.
Marumo Gallants were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season after finishing in 16th position on the league table on 29 points. This was the most points a last placed team accumulated since the 2005-06 season when Free State Stars also finished the season on 29 points.
There have been five goals scored in this fixture since the 2022-23 season. All five have been scored by different players. Chiefs have scored three goals with Billiat Kwinika and Du Preez their scorers, Makudubela and Chivaviro have scored Marumo Gallants goals.
There is yet to be an away win in this fixture.
Chiefs have kept two clean-sheets in this fixture both their in the 2021-22 season, while Gallants have kept one clean-sheet.
Chiefs have scored in the last three games in the fixture.
Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein becomes the third stadium in which Marumo Gallants will host Chiefs in a league game, previously hosted them in a 0-0 draw in the 2021-22 season at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Polokwane.
They then hosted Chiefs in the 2022-23 season in a 1-1 draw at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.
This being the fifth league encounter between the teams will be played in a fourth different venue only FNB Stadium in Johannesburg has hosted this fixture more than once.
HEAD-TO-HEAD (LEAGUE)
P W D L GF GA GD
Gallants 4 0 3 1 2 3 -1
Kaizer Chiefs 4 1 3 0 3 2 1
MARUMO GALLANTS:
Marumo Gallants returns to the topflight after acquiring the status of Moroka Swallows.
Marumo Gallants returns to the Premiership after a season long absence as they were automatically relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Marumo Gallants have never registered a win in their opening in 2021-22 they lost 2-1 away from home against Baroka FC.
In the 2022-23 season Marumo Gallants played to a 0-0 draw in their opening league fixture which was against Stellenbosch at home.
Marumo Gallants record in their opening game of a season reads; P2 W0 D1 L1 GF1 GA2.
Gallants have confirmed the following new signings ahead of the 2024-25 Premiership season: Daniel Msendami (Jwaneng Galaxy, Botswana), Phathutshedzo Nange (SuperSport United), Kenneth Nthatheni (Black Leopards), Veluyeke Zulu (AmaZulu).
Phathutshedzo Nange previously played for Kaizer Chiefs before being sold to SuperSport United in the 2023-24 season.
The last time Marumo Gallants played in the top flight (2022-23) they ended the season as the team with the most drawn games (14) alongside TS Galaxy.
Marumo Gallants in the 2022-23 season only registered one win on the road and collected 10 points on their travels the fewest of any team as they were automatically relegated.
In the same season they collected 19 points at home and won 4 games at home.
In 2022-23 they scored 5 goals outside the box while 22 of their 27 goals were scored from inside the box. Gallants recorded a shooting accuracy of 41.64% and had a shot conversion rate of 7.38
Also in 2022-23 they had a total of 117 shots on target which was the fifth most in the league, while recording a total of 164 shots off target.
During the 2022-23 season Gallants were the team with the forth most successful passes with a total of 10586 behind Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and TS Galaxy. They however, were the ninth best performing teams as far as total passes into the final third is concerned with a total of 1916.
As far as duels won Gallants won a total of 1506 in 2022-23, which was the sixth best in the league.
They made the third most recoveries in the 2022-23 season with a total of 2011 behind Stellenbosch (2082) and Cape Town City (2064).
Despite being relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season Gallants scored 27 goals more than four teams that ended the season higher than them.
There did concede 34 goals, five teams conceded more than them.
In the 2022-23 season eight of Marumo Gallants defeats were by a single goal margin, they were involved in 14 draws the joint most in the league along with TS Galaxy.
In the 2021-22 season Gallants struggled at home winning three points as they collected 19 points from 15 home games, that season they won 15 points on the road, but did win one more game on their travels than they did at home (4).
In the 2021-22 season their first in the league Gallants were involved in 9 goalless draws only Cape Town City (10) were involved in more.
Overall, they were involved in 13 drawn game the second most behind Chippa United (14).
KAIZER CHIEFS:
Kaizer Chiefs will begin their 29th season since the formation of the PSL in 1996 in the topflight, it is their 55th campaign in South Africa’s top tier since 1971.
Kaizer Chiefs will be looking to clinch their 14th league title and their 5th in the PSL Era since the formation of the league ahead of the 1996-97 season.
In the PSL Era Kaizer Chiefs have managed to win the Premiership in the 2003-04, 2004-05, 2012-13 and 2014-15.
Since the 2014-15 season, the closest Kaizer Chiefs have got to winning the league again was in the 2019-2020 campaign after finishing second on the log table on 57 points only 2 points behind eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chiefs record in their opening game of a PSL campaign since 1996-97 reads P28 W15 D8 L5.
Chiefs are winless in their opening game in the last four seasons (D2 L2).
Chiefs last won their opening game of a league season when defeating Highlands Park 3-2 on the road in the 2019-20 season.
Chiefs have failed to score in their opening game in the last four seasons, losing 3-0 at home to Sundowns in 2020-21, thereafter they drew 0-0 away to TS Galaxy, in 2022-23 they lost away 1-0 to Royal AM while last season they drew 0-0 at home to Chippa United.
Chiefs' biggest loss on the opening day of a PSL season was their 3-0 defeat against Sundowns in 2020-21.
Chiefs biggest win in their opening game of a league campaign since 1996-97 was a 6-0 win away from home in the 2012-13 season.
Chiefs win over Highlands Park in their opening game in 2019-20 is their only opening game win in the last nine seasons (D5 L4).
Chiefs in all four seasons when they have won the PSL they have begun with a win in 2003-04 they won 2-0 at home against Mamelodi Sundowns.
In 2004-05 they started with a 4-1 away win against Dynamos, in 2012-13 it was a 6-0 road triumph over AmaZulu and in 2014-15 they started with a 1-0 win away against Free State Stars.
Chiefs begins a PSL season away from home for the 19th time their record when begging on the road since 1996-97 reads W10 D6 L2.
Chiefs in their previous 28 opening games of a PSL season have kept a clean-sheet 15 times.
Chiefs have opened a PSL campaign away in the Free State twice before they won against Free State Stars 1-0 in 2014-15 and drew with Bloemfontein Celtic in 2017-18 the game ending 1-1.
Against teams from the Free State, Chiefs have begun a PSL campaign against them three times previously they won at home against Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 in 2000-01, they defeated Free State Stars away 1-0 in 2014-15 and drew 1-1 in 2017-18 away to Bloemfontein Celtic.
When starting a PSL season on the road Chiefs have only ever lost two games a 2-1 loss to BIDVest Wits in 2016-17 and a 1-0 defeat against Royal AM in 2022-23.
Chiefs have been involved in two games on the opening day of the season which have produced 6 goals, both were away from home in 1997-98 they drew 3-3 with African Wanderers and in 2012-13 they defeated AmaZulu 6-0.
Chiefs record last season (2023-24) reads: P30 W9 D9 L12 GF25 GA30
Kaizer Chiefs finished 10th on the final standings at the end of the 2023-24 season which made them miss out on a top 8 finish for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Kaizer Chiefs have made a total of 7 new signings ahead of the 2024-25 season, welcoming Rushwin Dortley (Cape Town Spurs), Fiacre Ntwari (TS Galaxy), Bongani Sam (Orlando Pirates), Gaston Sirino (Mamelodi Sundowns),Inácio Miguel (Petro Luanda), Bradley Cross (Golden Arrows) and Njabulo Blom (on loan from St Louis City).
Kaizer Chiefs will be lead by Tunisian born head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who replaces interim coach Cavin Johnson. Khalil Ben Youssef (Assistant coach), Ilyes Mzoughi (Goalkeeper coach) and Safi Majdi (Strength and Conditioning coach) presently make up the rest of the technical team.
Kaizer Chiefs’ pre-season tour saw them travel to the Republic of Türkiye. The Glamour Boys spent three weeks in the country to train and play friendly matches. That trip was Kaizer Chiefs’ first tour outside of the country in 21 years.
They also faced Tanzanian side Young Africans in the Toyota Cup on the 28th July in Bloemfontein which was their most high profile friendly of the pre-season.
Last season Chiefs won a total of 13 games which the team with the fourth most wins after Mamelodi Sundowns (21), Orlando Pirates (16) and SuperSport United (14).
Last season Chiefs drew 5 games which was the least amount of games drawn by any other team.
Last season Chiefs recorded 7 away wins which was the third most away wins.
Kaizer Chiefs scored a total of 8 goals from outside the box and 24 goals inside the box in the 2023-24 season.
Chiefs a shooting accuracy of 35.17% which was the lowest in the league and a shot conversion rate of 7.14 which was the second lowest in the league last season.
Kaizer Chiefs had a total of 121 shots on target and had 223 shots off target which was the most off target by any team last season.
Amakhosi missed the second most big chances (38) behind Cape Town City (40) in the 2023-24 season.
Last term Chiefs made a total of 9855 successful passes and 2471 failed passes. They had a passing accuracy of 79.95%.
They made the fourth most passes into the final third (2031) only SuperSport United, Sekhukhune United and Moroka Swallows made more.