A rivalry spanning 56 years will see the latest chapter written when Kaizer Chiefs and their township rivals, Orlando Pirates, renew hostilities on Saturday at the FNB Stadium in front of a capacity crowd. Kick-off is at 15:30. The first meetings between the sides, who both hail from Orlando, in Soweto took place in the Rogue Cup in 1970. This rivalry has now grown into one of the globe’s biggest derbies. 

Historical Foes:

Chiefs and Pirates have met each other 185 times across various official competitions since 1970. Chiefs lead with 75 wins to Pirates’ 50. There have been 55 drawn games. This includes abandoned matches. In league games, Amakhosi completed a league double over Pirates when they first met in 1971. In total they have met in 110 league games, with Chiefs holding sway on 45 wins to Pirates 28, with 37 draws. No teams have met as many times in official South African football games as Chiefs and Pirates. This is the 56th successive season in which they will be squaring off. This is also their 61st league meeting in the PSL era. Chiefs have a slight advantage with 18 wins to 17. There have been 25 draws.   

Recent run:

The sides’ second meeting last season ended 1-1, bringing to a halt a run of 13 league games which had produced a winner, Pirates had won five league matches in succession. Prior to that, Amakhosi had also won five league games in a row. The last 17 league games between the sides have produced goals,. They last played out a 0-0 draw in October 2017, with Chiefs as hosts. Historically, this fixture is currently on its longest run of successive league games with at least one goal scored. The previous record was 15 games when the sides’ first 15 league games saw at least one goal scored in each game. 

Chiefs’ last win over Pirates was in a league game in February 2023, a 1-0 home win. 

New Coach:

Fernando Da Cruz is the second French-born Chiefs coach to take charge of a league derby against Pirates. The other was Phillipe Troussier, who won his only league derby at the helm in May 1994. Chiefs were leading 1-0 at FNB Stadium when the game was abandoned in the 72nd minute, and Chiefs were eventually awarded a 3-0 win. 

Another French national to manage Chiefs in a league derby was Paul Dolezar, born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia), in 1997/98. He never lost in a league derby against Pirates, winning one game and drawing three.  

Da Cruz will also be looking to become only the third Chiefs coach in the PSL Eea to win his first league game against Pirates, the others being Ernst Middendorp in 2005/06 and most recently, Arthur Zwane in 2022/23. Stuart Baxter did win his first league game against Pirates in 2021/22, but it was his second spell in charge of Chiefs. 

Defending Champions:

In eight previous games when facing Pirates as the defending PSL champions, Chiefs have managed to win two games, - one each in 2003/04 and 2011/12. They drew one game in 2001/02 and drew both matches in 2012/13, Chiefs have lost three times to Pirates as defending PSL Champions, in 2001/02, 2003/04 and 2011/12. Chiefs have also dethroned Pirates twice in the PSL era to replace them as the league champions, doing so in 2003/04 and 2012/13.