Advantage Kaizer Chiefs? No Nasreddine Nabi, no problem! Could this be Amakhosi’s season?

The reigning PSL champions were held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha — a result that might have sparked panic among fans. 

It would also have given much confidence and hope to their rivals, among them Amakhosi, who are eager to break the Brazilians’ stranglehold on the PSL title.

Downs are currently enduring a tough start to the season, given they also have off-field turmoil with some of their star players rumoured to be near the exit door.

The likes of Lucas Ribeiro, Khuliso Mudau and Peter Shalulile are still absent from Downs’ squad as they look set to secure moves away from the club. 

Pirates suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sekhukhune United in their first PSL game of the season at Orlando Stadium on Saturday evening.  

This is another result that would have encouraged the Glamour Boys, as Bucs are the only team that has given Sundowns a run for their money in the league over the past few seasons.

Siphesihle Mkhize scored the only goal of the match early in the second half as Eric Tinkler’s side sank the Sea Robbers at their home.  

Chiefs were forced to head into their opening clash without their head coach, Nabi,  who flew home to Tunisia on Friday following an emergency.

Nabi’s assistants Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze proved to be able deputies as they ensured Chiefs started the campaign on a strong note. 

There’s no indication as to when Nabi will be back, but in Ben Youssef and Kaze, Chiefs have able deputies and will not be pressing any panic buttons.

Last season, there was nothing ‘glamorous’ about the boys from Phefeni as they struggled to a ninth-place finish, missing out on the top eight. 

This meant that Chiefs could not partake in the MTN8 for another season, something that did not go down well with their supporters.

In the previous campaign, Chiefs struggled to score enough goals, scoring just 32 while conceding the same number of strikes against them.  

This term, they have already scored two without conceding any, a result that will go a long way in building belief in Nabi’s charges. 

After finishing in ninth position last season, and subsequently failing to qualify for the MTN8, all eyes were on Soweto giants heading into the current.

Expectations are higher this time around, with this campaign set to be a make-or-break for Nabi, who managed to narrowly survive the chop. 

Do Chiefs have the quality to compete for trophies? This is the question on most of the Amakhosi faithful’s heads ahead of this season. 

Winning their first game in a weekend  that saw both Pirates and Sundowns drop points will be a huge confidence booster to Amakhosi

PSL

Kaizer Chiefs 

Orlando Pirates 

Chiefs start PSL season with win