Pressure on Amakhosi heading into midweek action

Kaizer Chiefs and coach Nasreddine Nabi find themselves under pressure heading into a midweek round of Betway Premiership action on 4 and 5 March 2025.

The Amakhosi will host Magesi FC at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday evening, as they look to recover from a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns this past weekend.

The loss was an eighth in 19 league matches for the Soweto giants this season and leaves them in a lowly (by their historically lofty standards) eighth place – a full 29 points off the pace set by the log-leading Brazilians.

“I have a mission here with Kaizer Chiefs, I have a mission, I'm not here for the money and I love this club. I am strong, I don't lose my confidence quickly like that because my history is big,” said coach Nabi, who is sounding more and more desperate in attempting to explain his team’s struggles.

The Tunisian added, “But I do believe and I have a strong formation and strong experience, I know what I'm doing and I will get it right.”

Magesi, meanwhile, will have renewed confidence after a 1-0 win over SuperSport United this past weekend, but they are still fighting for their top-flight survival and will head to ‘Soccer City’ with gritted teeth.

Tuesday also features Marumo Gallants – fresh from a stunning win over Orlando Pirates – hosting Stellenbosch FC in Bloemfontein, while Wednesday’s focus will fall on Mamelodi Sundowns, as they look to take another step toward an eighth successive championship.

The Brazilians are away to Golden Arrows at the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale and will start as clear favourites, though coach Miguel Cardoso is right to point out that his team’s heavy schedule (this will be a 10th match in the space of 31 days) is weighing heavily on the squad.

“The fatigue was clear on our players [against Chiefs],” said the Sundowns coach. “It was absolutely clear in the way we played, and we could not sustain our play in terms of intensity because fatigue is not only physical, but it’s mental.”

Orlando Pirates, Sundowns’ nearest chasers, saw their title hopes suffer a major blow with defeat to Gallants this past weekend and they will look to bounce back away to Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“If we win our next games the race is still on. We are taking it one game at a time and will continue doing that until we are told otherwise,” said Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi.

Wednesday also features Cape Town City playing host to TS Galaxy, AmaZulu FC head to Lucas Moripe Stadium for a clash with SuperSport United, and Richards Bay will look to boost their survival hopes with a clash at home to Sekhukhune United.