Sundowns, Chiefs set for heavyweight clash

Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs will mark National Women’s Day with a heavyweight DStv Premiership clash at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane on Wednesday afternoon.

Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.

MATCH BACKGROUND

Sundowns come into the match having opened the defence of their DStv Premiership title with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Sekhukhune United on Friday evening. Goals from Peter Shalulile and Lucas Costa were enough for ‘Downs to bag maximum points, despite Jamie Webber pulling one back for the hosts on the hour mark. The opening match of the new season also saw Vusimusi Mncube and Rivaldo Coetzee sent for early showers, as both teams ended with 10 men.

Chiefs, meanwhile, were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Chippa United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday afternoon. In the Amakhosi’s first match under new coach Molefi Ntseki, they struggled to find an attacking rhythm, too often giving the ball away cheaply and lacking the sharpness to unlock the Chilli Boys’ deep-lying defence. A clean sheet and a point on the board is far from a terrible start, but it will reflect as a poor result if they follow it up by falling to the champions.

Ready for our first home game of the season in front of the Yellow Nation! ??

? Mamelodi Sundowns vs Kaizer Chiefs
?? 09 August
? 15H00
?? Lucas Moripe Stadium
?? DStv Premiership
?? SS 202
?? #Sundowns #DStvPrem pic.twitter.com/uLdSTGfU2y

— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) August 7, 2023

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

In head-to-head stats, Sundowns and Chiefs have met in 76 league matches dating back as far as 1985. The Amakhosi have claimed 29 wins compared to 26 for the Brazilians, while 21 games have ended in draws. The Tshwane side’s home record in the rivalry reads P38 W17 D9 L12.

The teams’ league meetings last season saw Sundowns record a ‘double’ over Chiefs, with a 4-0 home win (goals from Gaston Sirino, Peter Shalulile [two] and Abubeker Nasir) in August 2022 and 1-0 away win (Neo Maema with the only goal) in January of this year.

WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING

“The boys were very brave. They put in a very good shift. The new players, I am very proud of their effort. A lot of work was done to strengthen the squad in the transfers, we got our five and they will settle a bit and try to improve the team.

“[Thapelo] Maseko... That’s why we bought him [from rivals SuperSport United]. He gives the team something that we did not have last season. I forget sometimes that Maseko is only 19. He’s got a lot of potential and we just need to continue to help him and coach him and try to get him to give even better performances.”

CHIEFS COACH MOLEFI NTSEKI

“It’s unfortunate we didn’t score, but I think if you look at the different moments of the game, being the first game we did well, except for giving the ball away cheaply, which almost hurt us. But I think without conceding the goal, the boys did very well, they applied themselves. We can’t fault the effort they had to put in, but tactically speaking we can do better.

“It’s important to take shots at goal, because we can’t break a deep block with those short passes. What is important is how do we add numbers? What type of crosses do you put in? I think that’s something we will be working on.”

PLAYER LINKS

The most notable current player link between the two clubs is Keagan Dolly, who was a key figure for Mamelodi Sundowns in their 2015-16 DStv Premiership triumph, as well as their CAF Champions League win in 2016. He went on to play for Montpellier in France from 2017 to 2021, before returning to South Africa by signing for Kaizer Chiefs. The 30-year-old has yet to score against his former club in the colours of the Amakhosi.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SUNDOWNS

Thapelo Maseko – The young winger showed off his pace and verve on debut against Sekhukhune, giving Sundowns’ already-impressive attack a new dimension. Maseko will next take aim at the Amakhosi on Wednesday afternoon and look to inspire a home victory for Masandawana.

Lucas Costa – Another new signing who greatly impressed against Sekhukhune, bagging the second goal that ultimately proved decisive in the match. The Brazilian will hope to further gain the trust and support of the club’s fans with a strong showing against Chiefs.

CHIEFS

Edson Castillo – The Venezuelan midfielder was Chiefs’ standout performer in the goalless stalemate against Chippa, combining well in midfield with Yusuf Maart and Siyethemba Sithebe. However, he will face a tougher challenge and see less of the ball against Sundowns.

Christian Saile – Chiefs’ attack was out of rhythm and lacked imagination on Sunday, though Saile was a constant positive presence with his willingness to run and show for the ball. The 23-year-old will hope his perseverance pays dividends against the Brazilians on Wednesday.