Soweto Derby could decide title

24 February 2011

Round 22 of the Absa Premiership could turn out to be one of the most influential of the 2010/11 season because it is in this round of fixtures that we witness the Golden Derby, the result of which could possible decide the fate of the league title.

That’s right, it is the big Soweto Derby once again and the whole country will come to a standstill when Kaizer Chiefs host Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Besides from the history that surrounds one of the biggest derbies on the African continent, more is at stake this time round as the two teams lie first and second on the log. Pirates top the standings on 45 points, but are closely followed by Chiefs who are only two points adrift.

The derby is being billed as a possible title decider because the winner of the match will see themselves standing in good stead to lift the league title.

One side who will feel otherwise is third place Ajax Cape Town. They are also only two points back of the Buccaneers and will be eager to keep the pressure on the front two. Still, they face a tough task when they kick-off this weekend’s action on Friday night against an inform Free State Stars.

Stars have gone their last three games unbeaten, which has seen them beat both Golden Arrows and Mamelodi Sundowns. Most recently they played to an entertaining 2-2 midweek draw with BidVest Wits, and have proven in recent times they will be no walkover.

The second game on Friday night sees a struggling Maritzburg United hosting Santos. The side from KZN has suffered back-to-back defeats in the league and if they lose again they will find themselves in a tough relegation scrap.

Still, Maritzburg may fancy their chances against Santos who have also been struggling. The People’s Team have only managed two points in their last five league matches and have conceded 15 goals in that time.

The biggest game on Saturday is undoubtedly the Soweto derby between Chiefs and Pirates, but two other matches are also taking place. AmaZulu host Vasco Da Gama and the inform Wits travel to Pretoria to face Sundowns.

AmaZulu will be looking to continue their good form after a midweek draw to SuperSport United which sees them on a six game unbeaten run. Vasco will also be keen to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Ajax in their last league match.

For Sundowns, after their loss to Free State, they will want to get their title chase back on track, but face an extremely tough match against Wits. The students are in fine form and have gone their last five games unbeaten and scored 16 goals in that time.

Sunday sees three matches taking place in the Absa Premiership. Moroka Swallows will look to extend the gap between themselves and Aces at the bottom of the log when they take on Platinum Stars. Stars, though, will be looking for a win that could take them into the top eight.

Relegation bound MP Black Aces will host Golden arrows who will be looking to win their first match in five outings, and Bloemfontein Celtic will be eager to extend their unbeaten run to 12 matches when they take on SuperSport United who put on a poor display in their midweek 0-0 draw with AmaZulu.

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