Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will both fancy their chances of winning the 178th edition of the DStv Premiership Soweto Derby when they meet at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon (3.30pm kick-off).
IOL Sport soccer writer Mihlali Baleka reckons that the team that successfully apply these three factors in their game-plan will claim the bragging rights.
Play the game, not the occasion
Themed the biggest sporting event in the country, the Soweto Derby can either make or break the career of all those involved – players or coaches.
And given the pressure that both Chiefs and Pirates’ personnel have come under over the past few months, they’ll have to tread carefully in the derby.
This is not the time to be over-zealous, as that could lead to dire consequences. Hence, the team that sticks to the basics the most should improve their chances of winning the match.
Take your chances
Both Amakhosi and the Buccaneers have struggled in front of goal recently, having scored six and three goals in their last five games respectively.
But they’ll know that they can’t continue such a sluggish scoring record in the derby if they are going to win the match, which could all but turn around their fortunes.
A Chiefs victory will not only see them bag their record sixth derby win in the league, but it will see them climb up on the log from their current seventh spot.
The 10th-placed Pirates also want to win at all costs to give The Ghost something to smile about, having lost the back-to-back derbies in the league last term.
Get the 12th man behind you
By the time you read this, the sold-out sign for the derby would have long gone out, given that 80 000 tickets were already sold on Thursday afternoon.
So, with both teams expected to fill up the 90 000-capacity FNB Stadium, it’s safe to say both sets of supporters will want to see their team claim the bragging rights.
Chiefs will be welcoming back their supporters to the stadium for the first time since their ban against Cape Town Spurs on Wednesday, following acts of fan misconduct.
And that’s why there will be no better welcome for them than seeing the team taking matters by the scruff of the neck and dominating.
However, Pirates will also want to make sure they get The Ghost behind the team from the outset, given that this is a derby they’ll want to win to make up for lost time.