Soweto Derby: Do Kaizer Chiefs have slight edge over Orlando Pirates?

Based on Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates' most recent respective matches, it's Amakhosi who seemingly have a little more wind in their sails ahead of Saturday's Soweto Derby.

There's a saying in football that there's no space for comments in the results column.

Flipping that around, a score doesn't always tell the full story of a how a match unfolded and how well a team played or didn't play.

Illustrating that point well is Amakhosi's 1-0 win over Chippa United on Tuesday night.

The victory was ultimately secured via an own goal by Gregory Damons midway through the second half, which would perhaps suggest a tight game.

In many ways though it was anything but tight, as the Glamour Boys put in a dominant performance, creating chances on a regular basis and hitting the woodwork three times. With a bit more luck and without some fine saves by home keeper Velile Mothwa, the Soweto team could and should have won by a far greater margin.

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And so while there was a degree of frustration for head coach Gavin Hunt at his side's impotence in front of goal, there were certainly positives to take from the manner in which Chiefs cut open the Chippa defence on numerous occasions with some slick combination play as the likes of Leonardo Castro combined nicely with Lebogang Manyama and Khama Billiat.

It was certainly a vast improvement on their previous match in which they lacked fluency and spark in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns. Chippa are of course are not in the same class as either Sundowns, or Orlando Pirates, Chiefs' next opponents' in the upcoming MTN8 semi-final first leg encounter at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates, for their part, found the going tough in a 1-1 midweek draw against Stellenbosch FC. Bucs were far from fluent against the Cape side and huffed and puffed their way to a point after scoring a scrappy first half goal.

Bucs have similarly struggled for rhythm and fluency in their previous two games, a 1-0 win over Cape Town City and a 1-1 draw with AmaZulu.

These are all decent results which may build a bit of confidence, but for some reason, it's clear to see that the Buccaneers are not quite clicking yet and have not found their best combinations

Based on their showing against Chippa, Chiefs do seem to be starting to gel, and while derbies often ignore the form book, the Glamour Boys may just have the upper hand on Saturday if they can continue where they left off on Tuesday.