Celtic Test For Chiefs Next Up
Kaizer Chiefs will return to the capital city Pretoria on Wednesday evening to face Bloemfontein Celtic in an Absa Premiership clash at the University of Pretoria Stadium. This is merely four days after they came from behind to defeat Polokwane City at a nearby Loftus Versfeld 3-2 after at one stage trailing 2-0 in the game. This game will be Chiefs third league clash since the restart of the 2019-20 season. It will be Celtic’s second league clash, but they were also involved in a Nedbank Cup semi-final clash since the restart.
Chiefs will be aiming to continue from where they left off on Saturday against Polokwane City. The game saw Amakhosi rally from being two goals down to taking the lead in a space of seven minutes as Chiefs held out for a win, which saw them go six points clear at the top of the table.
Amakhosi will be well aware from their previous clash this season against Bloemfontein Celtic that this game will be no walk over. The earlier meeting between the sides this season produced an eight-goal thriller which Chiefs won 5-3 at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
In the meeting back in December, Chiefs had on three occasions trailed in that game before going on to win. The game saw Samir Nurković grab a hattrick as he became the first Chiefs player to score a three in a league game since Bernard Parker in August 2012. The first player to do so against Celtic was Kaizer Motaung Junior, who scored three in a 4-0 league win in March 2007.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and with the season being completed in Gauteng, it means that for a second season in a row Chiefs will be facing Celtic outside of Bloemfontein. Last season, the corresponding fixture was played in Polokwane which Celtic won 1-0. Chiefs’ loss in their away game to Celtic last season is the Amakhosi’s only defeat in their last 20 league games against them. At the time, that game ended an 18-game unbeaten run for Chiefs in league clashes against Celtic.
The rivalry between Chiefs and Celtic stretches back to 1971, with their first league encounter taking place on the on 5 June 1971. Celtic were hosts as Chiefs won the game 5-0. The return game on 24 July 1971 ended in a 2-1 win for Chiefs.
Chiefs have faced Celtic 41 times in league games since 1996-97, winning 22 of these encounters and Celtic picking up 5 wins, with 14 games ending in a draw.
Matches between Chiefs and Celtic are keenly contested affairs with the victors winning by a single goal margin in the PSL era on 10 occasions. There is also history to be made for either Nurković or Leonardo Castro if either of them score. They stand a chance of being the first Chiefs players since Knowledge Musona in 2010-11 to score in both league games in the same season for Chiefs against Celtic. Amakhosi will also be keen to keep Celtic Forward Ndumiso Mabena at bay as he has managed to score in his last three league outings for Celtic against Chiefs.
Perhaps Chiefs finest hour in recent times against Celtic came on the final day of the 2004-05 season when Amakhosi managed a 2-0 win over them in Bloemfontein, a result which ultimately handed Chiefs the league title ahead of Orlando Pirates. A similar result will go along way towards helping Chiefs maintain their position at the top of the table as they look to lift their fifth PSL league title and 14th overall.
Kick-off for Wednesday’s game is at 18h00. The match will be broadcast live on SABC 3 and SuperSport 4 on DStv channel 204.
