Top eight things to look out for in Sundowns v Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs host Mamelodi Sundowns in a colossal clash of the heavyweights in the first leg of their MTN8 semifinal at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

There are sideshows aplenty in this one as these two aim to take a big step towards a final place. We bring you eight things to look out for at the weekend.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Chiefs once had quite a commanding lead in the head-to-head over Mamelodi Sundowns, but that gap has narrowed considerably in the last decade. Since 1985, the teams have met on 105 occasions, with Chiefs winning 41 of those and Sundowns 33, with 31 draws as well. Chiefs have outscored their opponents 121-109. In the top eight competition down the years, the teams have met on only eight occasions, not many considering both have been regular participants for much of the last four decades. Chiefs have won three of those, Sundowns two and there were three draws. They have clashed in the final three times (1992, 1994 and 2008) and all of those went Chiefs’ way.

LAST TIME WE MET

This was not long ago, just a little over three weeks in fact as Sundowns claimed a 2-1 victory in Atteridgeville in the league. Lucas Ribeiro and Neo Maema got their goals, while Ashley du Preez scored for Chiefs. The AmaKhosi certainly had their chances that day and might have got something from the game. Since then, Sundowns have had a host of injuries, though such is their squad depth that it does not appear to have affected them much.

THE COACHES

Rulani Mokwena continues to mastermind the impressive improvement of Sundowns, who have started this season with seven wins in a row in all competitions. He was appointed sole coach last season after Sundowns were dumped out of the MTN8 by Orlando Pirates, having shared the duties with Manqoba