#zimbabwe Chiefs wary of wounded Pirates ift.tt/1vVPlGc FORM GUIDE (last five league matches) Pirates: WLWDL Chiefs: DWDDW MATCH BACKGROUND Kaizer Chiefs are wary of the wounded animal that is Orlando Pirates, ahead of their Absa Premiership clash at the FNB Stadium this afternoon. Kick-off is at 3:30pm. The Buccaneers are not in the best place at the moment after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Maritzburg United in their midweek league match, which consequently ended Vladimir Vermezovic’s reign as their coach. Now, assistant coach Eric Tinkler has taken charge for the big Soweto Derby as they try to close the 15-point gap between themselves and Chiefs on the table — Pirates are placed seventh on the table with 18 points, while the Amakhosi are on top of the log with 33 points. In head-to-head stats, Pirates and Chiefs have met in 57 league matches since 1985. The Amakhosi have 23 wins compared to 12 for the Buccaneers, while 22 matches have been drawn. Last season, the Amakhosi took four points off their Soweto rivals, drawing 1-1 at home and winning 1-0 away. KEY PLAYERS Oupa Manyisa (Orlando Pirates) Manyisa’s form often translates to Pirates’ display on the day. He is the backbone of the Buccaneers’ midfield. His ability to dictate the pace of the game could come in hand for Pirates, especially considering Chiefs will be running at Pirates. His midfield partner Andile Jali might have left the club but Manyisa has established himself in the team and combines well with Issa Sarr and Thandani Ntshumayelo.Should he win the midfield battle against Reneilwe Letsholonyane in midfield, then Pirates can go all the way. Bernard Parker (Kaizer Chiefs) The Chiefs talisman has been struggling for form since returning from injury but on Wednesday night he scored two beautiful goals, which should serve as a big confidence booster for the derby. Even Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter said Parker is the key piece to the puzzle. “Bernard was class. I always stress – if we can get Bernard firing on all cylinders, that’s good news for Chiefs. But that’s also great for the South African national team. I keep telling people that Bernard is probably one of the smartest players in the PSL. And if he’s not on song, it’s probably because he sometimes puts himself under too much pressure when things don’t go his way, as he expects so much of himself,” said Baxter on the club website. TEAM NEWS Pirates “We have no major injuries. Only Lekgwathi is out. Matlaba picked up a knock but he should be ready. Thabo Qalinge had a death in his family. He won’t be available for the derby.” – Eric Tinkler Chiefs “We picked up no injuries from last night.” – Stuart Baxter WHAT THEY SAID Pirates “Yes, we’re going to the match as underdogs because Chiefs are on fire this season, unbeaten and they’re off a fantastic result against Wits. It’s going to be an extremely tough game for us. Our performances haven’t been that great since the death of Senzo Meyiwa. That was a massive loss to the club.The morale of the team has been very low and the confidence as well and now, with the coach leaving, it becomes important for me to rebuild that confidence. I have to do it in the derby and every player is motivated to play in the derby. You don’t get to play so much in these types of games in your career,” Pirates Interim coach Eric Tinkler. “I’ll just lead by example through the football I play. The players were disappointed with the departure of VV but it’s football. We have to move on. Personally, as the captain, I wish that we pick up the pieces and come to the party,” — Pirates captain Oupa Manyisa Chiefs “The derby can be won by a mistake from the referee or a big performance from a key player. I expect a few mistakes because of the anxiety of the players,” – Stuart Baxter “The approach is to go there with respect and not to read too much into their situation. We need to be very careful. We have to keep reminding each other about not becoming complacent because it’s going to be easy to say we beat Wits and they lost to Maritzburg United. They also lost the coach and say okay, let’s chill because we’ll give them a whipping – that’s not going to be the case. It’s going to be a different scenario. They’re playing Chiefs and it’s a derby so they know the importance of the history of this match. So we have to simply focus on the game itself, ” – Chiefs captain Tefu Mashamaite. PROBABLE LINEUPS Orlando Pirates: Mhlongo, Jele, Mahamutsa, Sangweni, Matlaba, Sarr, Manyisa, Klate, Myeni, Erasmus, Majoro Chiefs XI: Khuzwayo, Gaxa, Mashamaite, Mathoho, Masilela, Katsande, Letsholonyane, Tshabalala, Lebese, Parker, Nkatha — Supersport ift.tt/eA8V8J
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 04:41:07 +0000
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