Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane believes that Kaizer Chiefs are now the favourites to win the Absa Premiership because they only have to play once a week.
Sundowns closed the gap to table-toppers Chiefs to five points with a 2-1 win over Black Leopards on Wednesday night, moving them up to third, while they do have two games in hand on Ernst Middendorp’s men.
With Downs set to face Chiefs on the 27 October when league action resumes after the MTN8 final, Fifa break and first round of the Telkom Knockout is completed, Mosimane has seemingly started the mind games.
Directly after the game against Leopards, Mosimane told SuperSportTV that the Glamour Boys have been benefiting from refereeing mistakes. Then, later on during the post-match media chat the former Bafana Bafana coach claimed that the Soweto giants are now favourites to win the league.
‘I call them a well-rested team. They should be able to compete for the league because they are playing on Saturday and then again the next Saturday,’ said Mosimane on Chiefs.
‘They have the energy and time to fix their problems at training. Sorry‚ we [Sundowns] have to play every three days‚ but they [Chiefs] are the favourites for me as we speak and that is what I said about Bidvest Wits last year, because they also didn’t have anything to do.
‘Chiefs now are the favourites,’ he added.
Having failed to finish in the top eight last season, Middendorp’s men have had a gentle start to the season and been able to focus solely on the league while also using the disappointment of last season as motivation, according to Mosimane.
‘When you don’t have top eight and Caf competitions‚ and you are a big team like Chiefs with pride and integrity for the badge‚ it is normal to come out like this. How far low can they go?
‘I mean they hit it last season and they are coming back and they are strong. They are doing very well‚ they are doing their business quietly. They fight a lot but it is normal and expected.
‘When I came to Sundowns in December‚ we finished out of the top eight at number nine and that’s where Chiefs finished last year,’ the Downs coach concluded.
