The spotlight falls on FNB Stadium as Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates battle it out for Betway Premiership points in a highly anticipated Soweto derby on Saturday, 28 February.
This particular instalment of the biggest fixture in the local football calendar is a high-stakes affair which arrives with both Soweto giants placed among the frontrunners for the league title.
This sets up a captivating showdown where neither side will be willing to give an inch in front of the sold-out crowd on the day.
It’s a rivalry that’s decades in the making, producing a number of unforgettable spectacles over the years.
Saturday’s match-up promises to be no different with crucial league points and bragging rights all on the line.
Kaizer Chiefs team news
After a disappointing finish in the previous campaign, Kaizer Chiefs spent the early part of the ongoing season among the pace setters and remain in the race for league honours.
They are six points behind the joint leaders in fourth place and have the potential advantage of a game in hand.
The month of February has however come with a few disappointments for Amakhosi, who suffered early exits in two cup competitions ahead of the derby.
The recent setbacks have not only been confined to the CAF Confederation Cup and Nedbank Cup, as they went on to drop three crucial points in a league defeat at home to Stellenbosch.
Their latter defeat was only their second in the Betway Premiership this season, with their only other loss also coming on home soil where they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Sekhukhune back in September 2025.
With 16 games played in the ongoing campaign, Kaizer Chiefs currently average a goal a match. This record is only slightly better in the fixtures they have hosted as they currently sit on 11 goals in 10 home matches.
It’s a tally they will be determined to improve on as they prepare to host a side that has found the net at least once in each of the last six derbies.
They will be a striker short for the encounter with Nigerian marksman Etiosa Ighodaro ruled out through injury, while midfielder Thabo Cele is back in training after last featuring in December.
Bucs Team News
Orlando Pirates are looking to put behind them a disappointing week of their own where they relinquished a handy lead at the top of the league standings before bowing out of the Nedbank Cup in only the second round.
They have since been leapfrogged at the summit of the table, slipping to second place where they are level on both points and goal difference with current log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Victory in the Soweto derby could help reclaim their standing as outright leaders with only a dozen fixtures remaining in their league campaign.
This is after winning the vast majority of their 17 games so far this season, only failing to get over the line five times.
A solid showing on the road has been instrumental in the Buccaneers’ push for league honours, with five of their eight away fixtures yielding victory.
They have found the net in all but one of their trips away from home and are still yet to concede a goal as the visiting team in the new year.
It’s a streak they will look to keep alive as they face a challenging assignment against their fiercest rivals.
Orlando Pirates’ mission to bring down their rivals has been fuelled by the return of key personnel.
Striker Evidence Makgopa is back in the reckoning after a brief spell on the sidelines, along with midfielder Thalente Mbatha who returns after sitting out his side’s last three outings.
Head-to-Head
Orlando Pirates go into this particular derby with some momentum in their favour, courtesy of recent league success over their rivals.
They have been victorious in each of the last four Betway Premiership derbies, clinching back-to-back doubles heading into Saturday’s showdown.
It has not all been one-way traffic however, with Kaizer Chiefs managing to claim victory when the two sides last crossed paths.
This was in a high-stakes encounter when Amakhosi ended the Buccaneers’ reign in the Nedbank Cup with a dramatic 2-1 win in last season’s final.
The Soweto derby has been evenly poised over the past five seasons as each team currently boasts five league wins over the other.
Narrow margins have ruled the roost throughout, with the winning side in the last 14 derbies crossing over the line courtesy of a one-goal victory margin.
TV Coverage and Ticket Info
The game is scheduled to kick off at 15:30 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport PSL and SABC 1.
Tickets to attend the match are sold out.
Prediction
Kaizer Chiefs 1-1 Orlando Pirates
