Football
Nick Said, Special to ESPN 6y

Sundowns, Chiefs seek early tonic as PSL season gets under way

The new Absa Premiership season kicks off in South Africa on Saturday with an almighty clash between defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns and a Kaizer Chiefs side desperately seeking to rediscover former glories.

Chiefs are trophyless in three seasons, the longest barren run in their near 50-year history, and have watched on in that times as Sundowns have secured two league titles, the CAF Champions League, Nedbank Cup and Telkom Knockout.

Only the most one-eyed and blinkered of AmaKhosi fans would see Chiefs as anything others than underdogs going into this weekend's clash.

That does not mean they cannot win though, and it will be an immediate battle for debuting former Sundowns star Khama Billiat against his former employers, less than two months after quitting the champions.

Sundowns will be without two of their experienced stars as midfielder Andile Jali and Liberia forward Anthony Laffor have been ruled out with injury. However, they could hand a debut to new signing Lebohang Maboe from Maritzburg United.

Coach Pitso Mosimane starts his seventh season in charge of the side and he says that while the game is vitally important, it is just another fixture in a long line of 'finals' for the team.

"We are used to having such games that determine our lives, games that are very, very important," Mosimane told the club's website. "The game [in the CAF Champions League] against AS Togo-Port was very important. If we had lost we would have been out of the tournament.

"If we lose to Golden Arrows [on August 11], we'll be out of the MTN8. After that we go to Wydad Casablanca and, if we don't win against Wydad, we will be asking for favours and hoping Horoya don't win against AS Togo-Port.

"Those two games mean a lot for us. We must go through to the semi finals of the MTN8 if we are serious," he added. "It's just not easy for us because the South African football programme is different to the European programme.

"In Europe at this time they are still getting used to each other but here we are playing for results. It's the way it is. We know about it. We can't complain."

The match will be a first competitive fixture in charge for Chiefs' new Italian coach Giovanni Solinas, who has worked in the Premiership before during two brief spells with Free State Stars.

He has had just a few weeks to bed down his philosophy with the players, so it would be a little unfair to expect them to hit the ground running, although this is a club where results matter above all else.

"I am busy implementing my philosophy of football, which is attacking football," Solinas said, as per Chiefs' official website. "That takes time and that's a reality. We have to be patient, but I am extremely happy with the attitude, the commitment and the focus of the players at training.

"We are working hard to improve the tactics, fitness and psychological approach."

Solinas was also gracious in his praise for Sundowns and Mosimane, who he admits are favourites, not just for this fixture, but the league title too.

"Playing against the reigning champions is never easy," he added. "Sundowns started their season early, because they had to play CAF Champions League games.

"They are the favourites for this season and they have a fantastic coach in Pitso Mosimane, who leads his team in special ways. I would have preferred to have played them next month, but this is how it is."

There are three matches that kick-off on Saturday evening, including an intriguing tie as Benni McCarthy's Cape Town City host SuperSport United in the Mother City.

"They are going to be a tough opponent, they are always tough," McCarthy said. "They've got a lot of experience. I don't know too much about the [transfer] business that they've done; they've been very quiet this [off]season. Very, very quiet, which is good for them because they've slipped a bit under the radar.

"Nobody knows much about them so they might surprise us but they do have a squad that is very experienced in the league.

"I'm confident we can go out and do well because we had good preparation. We should be ready for whatever comes our way. It should be the team that wants it the most, and I'm sure that's going to be us. We've got home advantage so we've got to make it count."

Bidvest Wits also host bogey side Free State Stars on Saturday evening as they look to put behind them a horror defence of their 2016/17 league title that almost ended in relegation.

They should not have the same frailties this season having brought in a number of players with vast PSL experience, including full-backs Lehlohonolo Nonyane and Vuyo Mere.

Scottish forward Simon Murray, signed from Hibernian, is also likely to make his debut.

Newly promoted Black Leopards will open their season at home to Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba stadium, while Orlando Pirates get their campaign under way against another promoted side, Highlands Park later in the day.

Pirates have made sweeping changes to their squad this season, building depth and capacity for a tilt at the 2019 CAF Champions League from November as well, and that makes them something of an unknown quantity.

The other game on Saturday night see AmaZulu host Baroka FC.

There are also two matches on Sunday, cash-strapped Bloemfontein Celtic entertain Chippa United, while there is a KwaZulu-Natal Derby as Maritzburg United entertain Lamontville Golden Arrows.

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