Going only into the third round of matches in the new Betway Premiership, football fans could not have asked for a better start with an early blockbuster between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, who will clash at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Amakhosi gave themselves a winning start to their campaign with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Marumo Gallants in their opening fixture last week Saturday.
Sundowns also won their opening match 2-0 against cross town rivals SuperSport United in the Tshwane derby.
However, the Brazilians’ overall start to the season has been clouded by being eliminated in the MTN8, where they lost both semifinal legs to Stellenbosch.
Based on how the two teams officially started their 2024/25 campaign, former Chiefs and Sundowns goalkeeper Brian Baloyi believes the Glamour Boys might just have an edge over the Brazilians and cause an early upset.
“This is the second-biggest game for the Chiefs after the [Soweto] derby. It comes at a time when the club is rebuilding.
“But while rebuilding, I think the biggest thing the new coach [Nasreddine Nabi] can do for himself and the players is to win your two biggest games,” Baloyi told Sunday World.
“Beat Sundowns, beat Orlando Pirates, and even if you don’t win the league, the supporters will forgive you because you are rebuilding but also would have beaten your main rivals.
“So, I think if there’s one season where I could say the Chiefs will have a real fighting chance to even things up [against Sundowns], I think this is the time.
“Because when you look at how Sundowns started, they had a bit of a rocky start and have not been as fluid.
“But only time will tell if it was just a small snag or will change their fortunes for the rest of
the season.”
The last time the two sides met, Sundowns handed Amakhosi a heavy 5-1 pummelling at FNB Stadium.
But before the two giants meet, they will both be in action midweek, when the Sundowns host the Gallants at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday, while the Chiefs travel to KwaZulu-Natal to entertain AmaZulu on Wednesday.
