Pirates aim to keep undefeated streak intact against Chiefs

Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will be meeting in a cup competing for the first time since the Buccaneers ousted their Soweto rivals from the Nedbank Cup Last 32 in 2016 when Tendai Ndoro netted a brace of goals in a 2-0 win.

The teams last met in the Telkom Knockout that same season when they played to a 0-0 draw in the semi-finals, with Chiefs edging the penalty shoot-out 6-5. They would go on to lose the final 3-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Pirates have not lost to Chiefs in their last 10 meetings, the longest run of winless games for the AmaKhosi in the near 50-year history of the Soweto derby. The last Chiefs victory came in a 2-0 league success in December 2014 when Siphiwe Tshabalala and Siphelele Mthembu netted for the Glamour Boys.

Those last 10 games have resulted in four Pirates wins and six draws, with the last meeting on October 27 when Pirates claimed a 2-1 triumph to make it back-to-back victories in the fixture.

Chiefs have played 73 matches in the Telkom Knockout competition in the PSL era, winning 41 to go with 18 draws and 14 defeats. They have scored 109 goals in that time and conceded 62. Chiefs’ number of matches in the Telkom Knockout in the PSL era, 73, is the most by any side over that period. It is one more than Pirates.

The club’s 41 victories in the Telkom Knockout is also the most of any team in the PSL era, with Pirates on 38, making them the most successful side in that period in terms of fixtures won.

Pirates have played a total of 72 matches in the Telkom Knockout in the PSL era, winning 38 of those to go with 17 draws and 17 defeats. They have scored 116 goals in that time and conceded 75, while they have faced 25 different opponents. No side has scored more goals than them in the PSL era.

For all of their domestic success down the years, Pirates have only ever won the Telkom Knockout title once, in 2011. This despite reaching the final on a total of eight occasions. Pirates have reached the second greatest number of finals in Telkom Knockout history, behind only Chiefs (17).

Pirates have lost in the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout in three of the last four seasons, and overall have won only five of their 13 appearances in this stage of the competition in the PSL era.

By contrast, Chiefs have won 10 of their 12 semi-finals in the PSL era.

Kick-off is on Saturday at 15:00.