Kaizer Chiefs face Durban City as losing streak threat looms

Kaizer Chiefs will be desperate to halt a slide that has seen them lose four consecutive matches when they host Durban City on Sunday, a result that could set a troubling club record.

The AmaKhosi, once in contention for the league title, the Nedbank Cup, and the CAF Confederation Cup, have seen their season unravel in dramatic fashion.

A bright start to the campaign has given way to disappointment. Chiefs crashed out of the CAF Confederation Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Zamalek and followed that up with a 2-1 loss to Stellenbosch in the Nedbank Cup first round.

Their woes continued with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby, before a 1-0 setback away at Richards Bay. These results have pushed Chiefs down to sixth in the league, 17 points behind the leaders, though they still retain two games in hand.

Sunday’s clash takes on added significance as Durban City are also vying for a top-three finish to secure CAF Confederation Cup qualification. Chiefs have some reason for optimism; they won 1-0 in their only previous meeting with Durban City earlier this season in Durban.

History suggests Chiefs are no strangers to losing streaks. During the 2011-12 season, interim coaches Doctor Khumalo and Donald Khuse oversaw four successive losses before a 2-0 home victory over Mamelodi Sundowns halted the slide, with the team ultimately finishing fifth.

A similar pattern emerged in 2015-16 under Steve Komphela, who saw Chiefs lose four games in 10 days, including cup and league defeats as well as a Champions League setback against ASEC Abidjan.

More recently, in the 2021-22 season, caretaker Arthur Zwane began his second stint with three successive losses before taking over permanently, only to end the following 2022-23 campaign with a four-game losing streak that included defeats to Moroka Swallows, Pirates, SuperSport United, and Cape Town City. Chiefs finished fifth for a second consecutive year before Molefi Ntseki was appointed head coach.

With history and current form weighing heavily, Chiefs face a crucial test against Durban City. A fifth straight loss would not only deepen their slide but also mark an unwanted milestone in the club’s storied history, placing added pressure on the team to recover and keep their CAF ambitions alive.