Chiefs and Pirates renew their rivalry
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will lock horns in the second edition of the Carling Black Label Cup at the FNB Stadium on Saturday evening, kick-off at 19h30. Live on SS Blitz and SS HD.
The high-profile preseason match allows fans of both sides to ‘Be the Coach’ and select the respective starting XIs as well as influence one substitution during the match, all by SMS vote.
Last season it was the Buccaneers who emerged triumphant, setting the tone for a season in which they went on to claim three trophies (MTN8, Telkom Knockout and Absa Premiership) for the second time in a row, while the Amakhosi were left empty handed and finished a disappointing fifth on the log.
This time around, with some fine new signings in their squad such as Bafana Bafana internationals Siboniso Gaxa, Morgan Gould and playmaker Siyabonga Nkosi, Chiefs will be determined to wipe the smile off the faces of Bucs’ ‘Happy People’.
Pirates have a number of new signings themselves who will be looking to impress if selected in the final XI or used as a substitute, though it is last season’s heroes, such as Lucky Lekgwathi, Siyabonga Sangweni, Oupa Manyisa and Benni McCarthy, who are likely to be in the run-on line-up.
Chiefs will be without Jimmy Tau, Siphiwe Tshabalala and new signing Kgotso Moleko due to injury, while Pirates appear to have more or less a fully fit squad to choose from, including Zimbabwean striker Takesure Chinyama, whose transfer from Dynamos was completed this week.
Pirates suffered a blow following the withdrawal of defender Thabo Matlaba due to illness, he will be replaced by defender Bheki Nzunga who had the next highest consumer votes.
Both sides have already enjoyed some preseason success in their build-up to this grudge match. This past Saturday, Chiefs overcame both Moroka Swallows and Bidvest Wits to win the Gauteng Sports Challenge.
The very next day, Pirates took home the trophy from the Mbombela Super Cup in Nelspruit after crushing Swaziland’s Mbabane Swallows before sneaking past Mamelodi Sundowns on penalties.
It promises to be a thrilling encounter in front of a sold-out Soccer City crowd that may well hand one team or the other the momentum needed to get a fast start in the 2012/13 PSL season.
Source: MTNfootball
