Mduduzi Shabalala pleads with Kaizer Chiefs teammates not 'to be jealous' of Relebohile Mofokeng & Mohau Nkota ahead of Soweto Derby - 'We need to be honest'

Kaizer Chiefs attacking midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala has admitted that Relebohile Mofokeng, 20, and Mohau Nkota, 20, are presently outshining Amakhosi's younger players including himself.

The Orlando Pirates academy graduates have consistently impressed since the beginning of the season, playing a key role in helping the team secure wins.

Shabalala urged his teammates not to be jealous of their counterparts and rather learn from them ahead of Saturday's Soweto clash between Pirates, and Chiefs.

"The youngsters playing well for Pirates are performing better than us, not just in South Africa, but on the continent as well, we need to be honest," Shabalala told reporters.

"You can see how they play; they have gained a lot of experience at such a young age. You can see they are growing in every game. I think it’s for us to learn from them and not be jealous.

"Our time will come. We just have to keep our heads up and continue working. I think by working with the technical team, we will reach our potential and our best," the 20-year-old explained.

"Playing against Pirates, if you don’t take your chances, they will score. They are a team that scores as many goals as they can. If you don’t take chances, you risk losing the game, and we don’t want to be in that situation.

"We will have to take every chance we get. It is a big game, and sometimes big games don’t offer many chances. The few chances you get, you need to convert them."

Shabalala, Wandile Duba, 20, and Mfundo Vilakazi, 19, have performed well for Nasreddine Nabi's team this term, but the team has fallen short of fans' expectations.

Duba and Shabalala are the Glamour Boys' joint-top scorers in the league with four goals each, while Vilakazi has found the net twice so far this season.

Amakhosi have heavily relied on their academy products since Nabi arrived at the club last winter.

Pirates and Chiefs will face off at the FNB Stadium in the first Soweto Derby in 2025.

This match is anticipated to be a stage for young stars to demonstrate their abilities, given their recent performances.