AmaZulu FC will be targeting their 10th win of the Betway Premiership season when they square off with Chippa United at the Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 3:30 pm CAT.
Usuthu were narrowly defeated 2-1 by TS Galaxy at home on 14 March – extending their winless run to three matches and it was their second successive defeat for the KwaZulu-Natal giants.
Usuthu find themselves placed seventh in the Betway Premiership – a point behind sixth-placed Polokwane and they will be desperate for a league double over Chippa in order to consolidate their spot in the top eight, having won 2-0 in their first-round league clash.
“It was simply poor decision-making [against Galaxy]. It’s not that we aren’t getting into the right areas at the right time; it’s the execution of those decisions. There was a moment when Ethan Brooks could have passed to Tshepang Moremi, who was facing the goalkeeper with an open opportunity,” AmaZulu head coach Arthur Zwane said.
“Instead, they made a mistake. We needed just one accurate pass, but the ball went straight to the keeper – he overcooked it. I could cite similar instances from matches like the one against SuperSport United, where we had numerous turnovers.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to dwell on these issues now, as we need to secure results with games coming thick and fast. We are dealing with season campaigners, and you expect them to make better decisions.”
Meanwhile, Chippa snapped a three-match winless run when they claimed a 2-0 victory over Polokwane City at home on 15 March and they had registered two defeats, and one draw before facing Rise, and Shine.
Chippa are occupying the ninth spot in the Betway Premiership standings – four points above the relegation zone and four points behind eighth-placed Kaizer Chiefs with 10 matches left.
“This is a big win [over Polokwane] because it really gets us close to the top eight and moves us away from the teams that have been performing well behind us. Four points away from the top eight, it gives us hope and belief that with the games we have in hand if we do well, we can get into the top eight,” Chippa head coach Thabo September said.
“We need to do well in our finishing, we need to create good chances for us to score. We need to make the right decision in the final third, I think the build-up … I think we need to work on to get into the final third. We also need to work on our set pieces attacking and defensively.
“There is still a lot of work to be done, a lot of aspects to our game that need to improve. Hopefully, in the two weeks before AmaZulu, we will work on those things and work with the players to be ready for what is coming in terms of schedule.”
Both Chippa United and AmaZulu suspension concerns coming into this encounter which come immediately after the recent FIFA international break.
The Chill Boys will be without the suspended duo of Boy Madingwane and Bienvenu Eva Nga, while Usuthu’s Nkosikhona Radebe will also be absent as he serves a one-match suspension.
HEAD TO HEAD
LAST 10 LEAGUE RESULTS
Season Result Scorers
2019/20 Chippa 1-0 AmaZulu Gamildien
2020/21 AmaZulu 3-1 Chippa Mulenga, Memela 2; Nhlapo
2020/21 Chippa 0-1 AmaZulu Xoki (pen)
2021/22 Chippa 1-1 AmaZulu Eva Nga; Majoro
2021/22 AmaZulu 2-2 Chippa Memela 2; Eva Nga 2
2022/23 AmaZulu 1-2 Chippa Zulu; Pietersen (pen), Matrose
2022/23 Chippa 0-2 AmaZulu Dion, Gumede
2023/24 Chippa 1-1 AmaZulu Mothwa (og); Gumede
2023/24 AmaZulu 2-1 Chippa Moremi, Ekstein; Kwayiba
2024/25 AmaZulu 2-0 Chippa Ekstein, Ngema
LEAGUE RECORD (since 2012/13)
Home
P W D L GF GA
Chippa 9 2 4 3 7 8
AmaZulu 10 3 1 6 11 14
Away
P W D L GF GA
Chippa 10 6 1 3 14 11
AmaZulu 9 3 4 2 8 7
Total
P W D L GF GA
Chippa 19 8 5 6 21 19
AmaZulu 19 6 5 8 19 21
