Orlando Pirates Abdeslam Ouaddou with his players on the left as Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze poses with his ahead of the two Soweto rivals facing off in the much-anticipated Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Image: BackpagePix
Kaizer Chiefs v Orlando Pirates
FNB Stadium
Saturday, 3.30pm kick-off
There are no favourites in the Soweto Derby. That is how the adage goes. However, with Relebohile “President wama2k” Mofokeng, Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi, and Sipho “Masterchef” Mbule all in fierce competition for the number 10 position — at both club and national level — it is easy to sing from a different hymn sheet.
Of the trio, only Mbule has failed to light up the stage so far this year. He has managed only a handful of cameo appearances for the Buccaneers since returning from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco this January.
It was his first major tournament with the national team and, having occupied that specialist number 10 role in every match in Morocco, Mbule will be eager to retain both the position and the shirt for the upcoming World Cup.
In contrast, Mofokeng’s form dipped ahead of the Afcon and, as a consequence, his game time was limited. However, he has been one of the shining stars of the PSL so far in 2026 — so much so that many Buccaneers and neutrals alike are predicting this to be a “Mofokeng Derby”.
Chiefs will know better than to give him too much freedom on the ball; he always carries a moment of magic that can translate into an assist or a goal — and he has developed a new habit of scoring them in pairs.
Maswanganyi, having been involved with Bafana throughout their unbeaten Afcon qualifiers, has shown through recent performances that he did not appreciate being left out of the continental showpiece. The question remains: which playmaker will Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou deploy against Chiefs this Saturday afternoon?
But, as the common understanding goes, form does not matter in the Soweto Derby. Chiefs may not have an outright poster boy at the moment, and that could be their biggest motivation. Chiefs coach Cedric Kaze has spoken about trusting Mduduzi Shabalala and Mfundo Vilakazi to respond positively in this match, and they undoubtedly possess the potential.
Expect to see Bafana coach Hugo Broos and his right-hand man Helman Mkhalele in the stands. Whoever brings a truckload of BMT is sure to make the preliminary squad list as they prepare to host Panama in two friendlies this March.