Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi acknowledges the club’s current struggles but asserts that “big clubs like Amakhosi will rise again” from their slumber.

Nabi, who was appointed during the off-season, has yet to significantly reverse Chiefs’ fortunes this season. The Soweto giants currently sit ninth in the Betway Premiership table with 30 points after 25 matches.

With only three league matches remaining, one of which is the highly anticipated 182nd Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium this Saturday afternoon, Chiefs head into this crucial fixture in less than ideal form.

They have not secured a league victory for almost exactly two months, their last Betway Premiership win being against Magesi FC on 4 March.

In their last six league matches, Chiefs have recorded three draws and three losses, including a recent defeat to Marumo Gallants this past weekend, marking Gallants’ first-ever win against Chiefs.

“The biggest clubs get ill, but they never die,” Nabi stated defiantly. “We believe that we are the biggest club in South Africa, and probably this time we might be ill, but we believe that we are still alive, and we can do something.” 

Adding to their challenges, Chiefs also lost the reverse league fixture against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on 1 February, with Patrick Maswanganyi’s late Panenka penalty securing the win for the Buccaneers.

The Soweto Derby this Saturday is not the final encounter between these two rivals this season. They are also set to clash in the Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban next Saturday, a match that, like this weekend’s derby, is expected to be a sold-out affair.