The home-bound legions of fans will watch the near-league decider match that pits the alluring jewels of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) – Kaizer Chiefs FC and Mamelodi Sundowns FC – on a collision course far away from the venue. The Covid-19 global outbreak has forced governments around the world to curtail attendance in most of the live sporting events. South Africa is not an exception. For a date that has always lived up to its acclaim, the duel will play out in the dry stands of Orlando stadium to a minutiae of bellowing technical staff and their substitutions.
Wednesday | August 26, 2020
The opportunity for Kaizer Chiefs to be crowned Absa Premiership champions hangs in the balance. All matters considered, they are still on the pound seat to clinch it.
On Thursday Aug. 27, the battle lines will be drawn between them [Chiefs] and current premier league holders, Mamelodi Sundowns.
This titanic face-off is billed for Orlando stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg, at 18:00.
Chiefs are the hosts. Some followers believe they are the hot favourites to lift the league. Though Sundowns will be away, hot on the heels of Kaizer Chiefs, they are the firm contenders for the coveted prize.
The meeting between these two PSL giants could tilt the league honours either way. To this end, both Chiefs and Sundowns coaches – Ernst Middendorp and Pitso Mosimane – have played down this apparent assertion.
Having led for the longest period in the 2019/20 edition of the elite league, Chiefs have fallen short on several occasions to open up the gap at the top.
The so-called minnows are giving the perennial frontrunners of domestic football reasons to sweat for every point on offer to the ultimate claim. The league trophy. A sign of how intriguing things may yet turn out. Perhaps. Certainly, this leveling also shows the strides the PSL has made in recent years.
Sundowns too, squandered many chances to catch up with their provincial archrivals.
Nevertheless, they come into this mouthwatering clash with three points behind Chiefs. This precarious position the latter find themselves in has tossed the league wide opened.
There are a handful of games remaining. The relegation struggle at the bottom of the log will make this quest even harder. That said, it will not be long before the teary-inducing curtain folds this long overdue raterace.
No spectators
The match, much the same with the rest of them, will be played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 government regulations.
Without a doubt, spectators were going to set an electrifying atmosphere in the run up all the way to gripping end.
The Gauteng province is the host of the “bio-bubble” arrangement to wind down all outstanding (professional) league games.
Form and the odds
Of the four games played so far since the league resumed, Chiefs managed five points out of the possible 12. They are perilously perched at the pinnacle of the log with 53 points. To their credit, they scored in each of those encounters.
The Brazilians, on the other hand, have accumulated six out of 15 points up for the taking. They are breathing heavily down Amakhosi’s necks with 50 points.
This shows how both clubs have been scraping through to get mere crumbles of the results recently.
This spellbinding fixture has produced exhilarating outcomes in the past. Conversely, Chiefs may take solace in having beaten Sundowns in the first round. They are still ahead and will remain at the top even post-Thursday match, even if for symbolic reasons.
Too close to call
A second win of the season for Chiefs may leave Sundowns’ prospects of lifting the trophy diminish in a dash.
What is indisputable though is that a victory for Mamelodi Sundowns will give them a sniff at defending their championship.
Both clubs are equal on (26 out of 30) games. Should Sundowns emerge triumphant, they will be equal with Chiefs on (53) points. A draw will work against The Brazilians. Even them, they know too well.
On the other hand, for Amakhosi, a win will leap them to 56 points, leaving the chasers clearly in dust with a 6-point gap. Quite obviously, that would mean one hand on the championship trophy for Chiefs, so to speak.
While others want this protracted affair to come to a shuddering end sooner, some are hoping for a too close to call season. Let it be one of the classic finishes down memory lane, they insist.
Can Sundowns deliver a mighty punch and drag this title to the last kick of the Absa Premiership league?
This guessing merry-go-round is drawing close to the finish line. The much-anticipated Thursday duel will likely show a better picture after 90 minutes of regulation time.