Jomo Sono predicts Orlando Pirates victory over Kaizer Chiefs in Soweto Derby

Jomo Sono expects Orlando Pirates to beat Kaizer Chiefs when the two Soweto rivals meet in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Kick-off is scheduled for 15:30, with Pirates arriving as the higher-ranked side in the league and Sono backing the club where he holds legendary status to claim the derby spoils.

“Pirates are going to win, obviously. Chiefs look promising now, but the thing is Pirates has been consistent,” Sono told KickOff ahead of the match.

Orlando Pirates are second in the table with 22 points from eight matches. They are one point behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and have played one game fewer.

Kaizer Chiefs are fifth, having collected 14 points from their opening eight fixtures. A victory for Fernando da Cruz’s side would be important as they try to reduce the eight-point gap separating them from their cross-town rivals.

Chiefs are expected to have Brandon Petersen and Rushwin Dortley available again, strengthening their defensive options for the meeting.

Pirates, meanwhile, have been boosted by the return of Bafana Bafana internationals Evidence Makgopa, Thalente Mbatha and Mohau Nkota. All three players have recently recovered from injuries.

Sono believes the result of Chiefs’ most recent match against TS Galaxy should be viewed in context. Kaizer Chiefs won that game 3-0, but he felt the teams were evenly matched before the opening goal.

“Pirates have been introducing these youngsters properly. So, it’s a very interesting game because iKhosi have confidence after beating TS Galaxy 3-0,” he said.

“But in that match, until iKhosi scored the first goal, their performance was the same as Galaxy’s. They were equal.

“After losing the centre-back, Mlondi Mncwango, Galaxy lost balance, and the floodgates were opened.”

Sono said the circumstances of that result had reinforced his belief that Orlando Pirates would come out on top in the derby.

“So, yibhasi elibhaliwe [the writing is on the wall for] this derby, Pirates are going to win,” he added.