Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane strongly believes Kaizer Chiefs are favourites to win this year's Premier Soccer League (PSL) title.
Amakhosi have started the campaign in fine fettle, bagging 19 points from their opening eight league matches under the tutelage of coach Ernst Middendorp.
However, Mosimane said he isn't surprised to see the Naturena-based side doing this well because they didn't have MTN8 and Caf commitments at the start of the season.
"Kaizer Chiefs are doing well. They are doing their business quietly, getting on top, fighting a lot but it's normal. It's expected," Mosimane told reporters.
"When I came to Sundowns in December [2012], we finished out of the top eight, we finished in position 10. That's where Chiefs finished last year [outside the top eight].
"When you don't have top eight and you don't have Caf [commitments] and you have a team like Chiefs, you have pride and integrity for the badge. It's a normal reaction to come out like this," he added.
The 55-year-old mentor, however, isn't sure if Middendorp's side can maintain their blistering start to the campaign, with 22 league games to go before the end of the 2019/20 season.
"How low can they go? They have it, they have come back stronger. I call them a well-rested team. They should be able to compete for the league because they play Saturday and next Saturday," he added.
"They have the energy and time to fix their problems at training. We have to play every three days. So, they are favourites [to win the league] as we speak."
Sundowns are the defending league champions having won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 with Mosimane at the helm.