Ernst Middendorp’s charges have a chance to surpass the 50-point mark with a win over struggling Usuthu this weekend
Kaizer Chiefs will be the hosts in a league game against struggling AmaZulu on Saturday night.
Three points are vital for both teams – with Chiefs eager to stretch their lead at the top of the log and Usuthu desperate to move from the bottom of the standings.
A win for Chiefs will see them open a 10-point lead over Mamelodi Sundowns while victory for the Durban-based side will see them move to 23 points and above the relegation zone depending on how Baroka and Black Leopards play this weekend.
| Game | Kaizer Chiefs vs AmaZulu |
| Date | Saturday, March 7 |
| Time | 20h15 |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
The match will be screened live on SuperSport TV and SABC in South Africa.
| Online Streaming | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| DStv.com/DStv Now App | SS4 |
Amakhosi will be without stalwart Willard Katsande for this encounter. The Zimbabwe international hurt the ligament on his knee in last weekend’s Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates and he’s only expected to return to action in April.
Other than that, Middendorp has a full squad to choose his best starting XI from – but he’d have to make changes on how he lines up but Anthony Akumu is most likely to step in and fill the void left by Katsande if the technical team decides to go with the same approach as the previous game.
Middendorp has already hinted he will make changes with Daniel Cardoso, Reeve Frosler and Philani Zulu also available for the central midfield position.
Chiefs’ dangerman is certainly Lebogang Manyama who has now contributed nine assists and seven goals across all competitions thus far.
Samir Nurkovic, Leonardo Castro and Khama Billiat cannot be overlooked and AmaZulu must have a good game plan to try and stop the Amakhosi trio.
The Durban-based side heads into this encounter without a permanent coach after Jozef Vukusic was placed on leave due to the club’s struggles in the league.
Ayanda Dlamini and Moeneeb Josephs will be in charge of this clash – the pair played many games against Chiefs and would know a thing or two on what to expect from their Soweto opponents.
However, they may not have had enough time to prepare for this match and it will be interesting to see if Usuthu will give them the same respect they showed to Vukusic.
Four of the five players that were suspended have returned to the first team – only Lehlohonolo Majoro is still training with the MDC team.
AmaZulu’s key player for this game is none other than Bongi Ntuli who is among the leading goalscorers in the league.
Match Preview
The two sides have met many times before in the top-flight but Chiefs have dominated the last 25 encounters.
Of the 25 matches across all competitions, Amakhosi won a whopping 18, drew six and lost just once.
The Naturena-based side scored 47 goals in 25 matches against AmaZulu while conceding just 11 in the process.
Interestingly, Chiefs kept six clean sheets in their previous seven meetings with the Durban-based side – two goalless draws and five wins – including the 3-2 win in January 2019.
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