Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs – Saturday 10 September– Soccer City (20:15)
Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs
The annual MTN8 Cup Final is the highlight of the weekend as these two Soweto giants go head to head for that astonishing R8 million rand prize money. This will be the third time these two face up to each other this season with Pirates beating their bitter rivals in the Telkom Knockout final as well as the new Black Label Cup. The rivalry is always fierce between these two and fans will be in for an action packed encounter.
Orland Pirates are a team in great form and are playing with real confidence. Last season was a historic episode for the Buccaneers as they won the treble, becoming the first team to achieve this since the inception of the Premier Soccer League (PSL). Pirates have continued where they left off, as they have already picked up two trophies thus far, winning both the Telkom Knockout and the Black Label Cup. The new man in charge Julio Leal has big shoes to fit as he looks to follow in the footsteps of previous manger Ruud Krul, who entered the club into the history books. The Brazilian has made a great start thus far and has got his team playing arguably the best football in the league and producing results at the same time. A victory in this encounter will do a world of good for the manager as some fans still believe he is not the man to take the club forward. He has got huge amount of talent at his disposal in the likes of Andile Jali, Oupa Manyisa and Tlou Segolela who are all in great form and not forgetting South African legend Benni McCarthy who will add that vital experience up front.
Kaizer Chiefs have wasted little time in kicking into gear. They top the PSL log with a 100% record in the opening three encounters. Vladimir Vermezovic will be looking to go one step better than last campaign as they fell short by a single point and were eventually beaten to the title by their Soweto rivals. Chiefs lost their top goal scorer Knowledge Musona to German outfit Hoffenheim and the fans were very concerned as he grabbed the majority of their goals last season. However the Serbian manager waisted little time in replacing the hot shot by bringing in highly rated South African international Bernard Parker. Parker is known for his goal scoring ability having plied his trade in Serbia as well as Holland, there is no doubt he will add experience as well as that extra amount of flair as he will lead the front line. Kaizer Chiefs are looking like a formidable force once again and will be looking for their first piece of silverware in this campaign.
This encounter is never short of fireworks as well as controversy. Both teams will be going all out for the victory. Pirates have the upper hand thus far as they have beaten their rivals twice already and look the best bet to make it over their rivals.
