They defeated Lamontville Golden Arrows 1-0 in a league clash in August, remarkably, the last time they played away in the league, some two months ago.
Why they have played seven of their nine league games at home so far this season is one for the PSL to explain, but they have won both their road trips, which also include a 2-0 victory at Stellenbosch FC.
Chiefs have been struggling for goals this campaign, but playmaker Mdu Shabalala hopes the 3-1 win over Simba in the CAF Confederations Cup last weekend will see the floodgates open.
“It was a great confidence booster for us to score three goals and we will take that into the match against Durban City,” Shabalala was quoted by the club’s website.
“For us, it is very important to get a good result in this match. We have been playing well but haven’t converted our chances as we would want to.
“This is a good opportunity for us, as Kaizer Chiefs, to get back on track for a good season in the league. We just need to stick with what we are doing and turn the chances we create into goals.”
Chiefs currently sit in fourth in the league, with City one place, and a single point, behind them.
“We will give them the respect they deserve for having a good start to the season,” Shabalala said. “But our main focus is on ourselves and what we want to achieve, which is to make sure to turn our good performances into results.”
City are unbeaten on their own patch this season with three wins and a draw, and have scored seven goals, a figure only bettered by Sundowns (12) at home.
Both Chiefs and City could potentially rise to third in the table with a win, which would be a huge confidence boost for their ambitions this campaign.
City coach Gavin Hunt, who did not survive the season in his stay at Naturena in 2020/21, believes his former side are there for the taking.
“I think when you play a club of the size of Kaizer Chiefs, they’re never having a bad moment, because they’ve always got that massive support behind them, and it’ll drag them across the line in games and make them win games when they possibly shouldn’t win,” Hunt said.
“So, the biggest club in South Africa, numbers-wise and support base-wise – when they come to Durban, they generally do get more supporters here. So, we are under no illusions.
“When you face a team like Kaizer Chiefs, they’re never in bad form, in my opinion. Because one little moment can turn it for them, and that’s where the crowd support is behind them.
“So, it’s going to be really tough for us and for them, because we’re a competitive team, and we obviously want to put a stamp on the game.”
City have lost their last two games, one in the league and the other in the Carling Knockout, but Hunt says both those defeats were about fine margins.
“The reality of football is if we defended (better in) the last two games, then we’re third on the log and we’re in the next round of the cup,” Hunt said.
“We know we should have defended the last couple of minutes. So, the fine margins are about those types of things, and we will grow as a team, and we have to learn.”
