MTN8 Final: Players with a point to prove

17 September 2014 - 17:32 By Tiisetso Malepa
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South Africa’s domestic big guns will square off for the rights to national supremacy on Saturday evening when Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs clash in this year’s edition of the MTN8 Cup.

Two-time winners Pirates, will be gunning for their third crown in five seasons while Chiefs will look to add to their solitary 2008 triumph under the floodlights at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

The stakes in the Soweto derby are naturally and will be even higher for coach Stuart Baxter and AmaKhosi, who have not played in a Cup final for the past 18 months and finished last season trophy-less.

While the Buccaneers will be eyeing their third title in five seasons and their second at the expense of their arch rivals Chiefs, the AmaKhosi will be desperate to avoid yet another final defeat against their traditional nemesis.

Read on for a breakdown of six players from both teams who need to prove a point in this Wafa Wafa competition.

Brilliant Khuzwayo:

In his first match of the season, the young goalkeeper had a less than impressive outing against the University of Pretoria at the weekend, giving away a penalty which allowed AmaTuks into the game, which Chiefs went on to win 2-1.

Khuzwayo will be hoping to cement his spot in the team at least until the Christmas break in the absence of first choice keeper and captain Itumeleng Khune's absence. However, the former AmaZulu gloveman will have Riyaad Pieterse breathing down his neck for a spot between the posts.

To send a strong message to coach Stuart Baxter, what better way to do it than a Man of the Match display in the biggest stage on the domestic football? Even better, a couple of saves to win the match should it be decided on penalty shootouts.

Lehlohonolo Majoro:

While Kermit Erasmus has been the preferred target man upfront for Pirates and is almost certain for a starting berth on Saturday, Majoro will again be expected to fire off the bench.

After not scoring in his first six months at Pirates, Majoro now has two goals apiece in the league and Cup and will have a point or two to prove – that it was a grave mistake for Chiefs to let him join their arch rivals and that he is good enough to start alongside Erasmus.

In the previous MTN8 match, the second leg semi-final against Bidvest Wits, Majoro scored a brace after Erasmus had netted the opener.

Another breathtaking performance off the bench, this time against a team he left unceremoniously at the end of last season, may well tempt the Bucs’ coach to deploy Majoro and Erasmus in what potentially looks the deadliest strike force partnership.

Issa Sarr:

Since the departure of Andile Jali from the heart of the Buccaneers’ midfield, the Ghosts had a sense of uncertainty around who will boss their midfield battles until the arrival of the Senegalese midfield workhorse.

Sarr has so far made 11 appearances in all competitions for the club and impressed in his defensive midfield role, earning plaudits from his teammates and new supporters.

It will be Sarr’s first Soweto derby since arriving from Platinum Stars at the beginning of the season and, if he can boss the midfield and neutralise the creativity of the red-hot Reneilwe Letsholonyane and carve out Williard Katsande’s towering runs, he would have almost certainly cast his name in VV’s regular starting list in stone and earn more praise from the hard-to-please Ghost.

Kingston Nkhatha:

The Zimbabwean striker is arguably the most despised player in the Gold and Black for his ever growing reputation of missing clear cut chances.

And having scored just two goals so far this season (one in the MTN8 and another in the League), Nkhatha is in a desperate need of a marquee performance – and he is not a stranger in that regard.

Nkhatha controversially cancelled out Kermit Erasmus's 10th minute opener in last season’s derby in October to endear himself to the AmaKhosi faithful but a failure to consistently hit the back of the net saw him flirting in and out of favour with the boo-boys.

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