Kaizer Chiefs Look to Etiosa Ighodaro for Impact as Premiership Action Resumes
Kaizer Chiefs return to the Betway Premiership after a month without domestic action. Their last league outing was a dominant win over Orbit College FC on November 4. They now face Chippa United on Tuesday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and the spotlight will be on Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro.
Chiefs signed Ighodaro to fix long standing issues in the striking department. He has started all six matches since joining and logged 460 minutes. He has scored once. One goal in nearly eight hours of football is a return that needs improvement. For a number nine, goals remain the measure used to judge effectiveness.
Ighodaro’s work rate is clear. He presses, links play and competes for every ball. Chiefs’ co coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze have praised his qualities. The next step is converting effort into goals. His success will depend on this. Chiefs have had a series of Nigerian forwards in the PSL era who struggled to score more than five goals. Ighodaro will want to avoid being compared to those before him.
The contrast with teammate Flavio Silva is notable. Silva has scored four goals in fewer minutes. He has played 255 minutes across all competitions and has been most effective in the league. He scored all four goals in 140 minutes of domestic football. Silva joined six weeks before Ighodaro but had no previous PSL experience.
Silva was limited to a brief appearance away at Al Masry in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage opener and did not feature against Zamalek on Saturday. Ighodaro, by contrast, already knows the league. He has played for Chippa United, SuperSport United and AmaZulu FC. Chiefs expect that familiarity to help him settle faster.
Chiefs now need goals as they try to push up the table after a month without league action. Ighodaro’s role remains central to their attacking plan. The meeting with Chippa United gives him another chance to deliver in the final third and build confidence as the season resumes.
