Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs do battle in the Soweto derby this weekend with a place in the Telkom Knockout final on the line. In a game of such magnitude, both clubs will require their star players to stand up. SoccerClub writer DEAN WORKMAN has picked out five Pirates players who could make the difference.
1) Vincent Pule
The winning goal in October’s 2-1 Soweto derby win over Chiefs cemented Pule’s tag as one of the top signings of the season, as well as went a long way to further endearing himself to the Pirates faithful.
Since arriving from Bidvest Wits the winger has scored six goals and provided three assists in 14 games across all competitions, as he has quickly become a vital part of Milutin Sredojevic’s team.
As he did at the FNB Stadium only a few weeks ago, Pule will be hoping to be the difference maker at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday and help fire Pirates into the Telkom Knockout final.
2) Augustine Mulenga
The Zambian was the Man of the Match in October’s win over Chiefs as he terrorised the Amakhosi defence using his pace and power to leave Mario Booysens and Siyabonga Ngezana reeling in his wake on a number of occasions.
Mulenga bagged himself an assist that day and while his goal return has not reached his ambitious heights, three goals and three assists in 12 games, the player possess the experience and class to yet again dominate the Chiefs backline and help guide his team to a big victory over their fiercest rivals.
3) Ben Motshwari
He may not grab the headlines like some of his more glamourous teammates, but Motshwari has quietly become a vital cog of the Pirates machine since his arrival from Bidvest Wits.
The midfielder’s ability to break down play and tiddly keep possession of the ball could prove vital in the cauldron which is the Soweto derby.
4) Happy Jele
The Orlando Pirates captain is Sredojevic’s lieutenant on the field and while the Serbian coach has chopped and changed his starting eleven this season, Jele has played every single minute of the campaign so far, across all competitions.
Jele will yet again play an important role in Saturday’s semi-final encounter, not only in leading his chargers but also in keeping the talented Chiefs frontline quiet, not an easy task when coming up against Khama Billiat, Leonardo Castro and co.
5) Thembinkhosi Lorch
The Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas has spoken on a number of occasions about how he wants his side to play attacking football with his full-backs bombing forward no matter who the opponents.
This mindset may be attractive when it comes off, but it does allow opponents to target the space left behind by the marauding full-backs, an area where a player like Lorch tends to thrive.
With his skill and electric place Lorch has the ability to get in behind the Chiefs and could cause the Amakhosi all sorts of problems on the weekend.
