Kaizer Chiefs will not target Pirates’ danger man Saleng, says Dolly

Contrary to popular belief, Kaizer Chiefs have not made Orlando Pirates’ danger man Monnapule Saleng the centre of their planning ahead of the highly-anticipated Soweto derby this weekend.

Due to his recent red-hot form and lethal ability to bang in goals, Saleng has deservedly hogged the headlines ahead of the DStv Premiership clash at FNB Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm).

The 24-year-old forward goes into the clash with four goals from his last two outings, with braces in Pirates’ successive wins against Golden Arrows (2-0) in the league and Mamelodi Sundowns (3-0) in Saturday’s MTN8 semifinal second leg in Polokwane.

However, Chiefs captain Keagan Dolly has said they are planning for Pirates as a unit and not for Bucs’ individual players, including Saleng.   

“We are analysing our opposition and we know Pirates are a good team,” Dolly said on Thursday.

“They have got confidence and some of their individuals are doing well by scoring goals and creating chances for them.

“But I think it’s about the 11 players on the field and we are analysing with an aim to see where we can hurt them.

“We will try to block wherever they are strong. That’s all we can do for now and prepare well for the game and try to deliver on the day.”

Saleng, recalled from loan at Swallows FC in the off-season, has formed an excellent combination upfront with the intelligent Kermit Erasmus, also a new addition to Bucs’ squad for the 2022-23 campaign, signed from Sundowns.

Talented attacking midfielder Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo, who recently joined Pirates from Marumo Gallants, is another Pirates player who is expected to be a key figure on Saturday.

Chiefs have one of the worst defensive records in the Premiership, leaking 15 goals from their 12 league outings. Maritzburg United, with 17 goals conceded, Stellenbosch (16) and Swallows (16) are the only teams that have conceded more.

Based on Pirates’ form and how they thumped the formidable Sundowns, Chiefs will wear the underdogs tag on Saturday.

Dolly admitted there’s a lot of pressure on Amakhosi ahead of the game, bearing in mind they are fresh from being knocked out of the MTN8 at the semifinal stage thanks to Sunday’s 0-0 second draw against AmaZulu in Durban, which saw Usuthu progress on away goals.

“I think when you are playing for Chiefs there’s always pressure and I think with this one coming up there’s even more pressure, but we are trying as much as we can to not focus on the occasion [and hype around the derby],” Dolly said. “We just want to win the game on the day.”

The sold-out affair will be played in front of 93,000 supporters, the first crowd to attend the derby since the onset of Covid-19.

“For me, I think playing the past season’s two derbies and winning them, I would love to win this one in front of our supporters,” Dolly said.