Former Kaizer Chiefs star George Lebese has predicted the outcome of this weekend's Soweto derby while sharing his own experience of playing in the most high-profile fixture on the South African football calendar.
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are set to meet for the highly-anticipated 176th instalment of the Soweto derby on Saturday when the two giants of South African football battle for bragging rights at a sold-out FNB Stadium.
The weekend's encounter will be the first time since February 2020 that supporters are allowed entry owing to previous Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and promises to deliver an electrifying atmosphere – an atmosphere an occasion that former Amakhosi star George Lebese still remembers fondly from his nine-year spell with the club.
"It's an electrifying feeling," Lebese tells KICKOFF.
"It's very hard to find the words to describe how it feels while playing in that match. It's like your soul leaves your body.
"The feeling is more than the words I have to describe it, but it's special. It's one of those games and experiences that you can't forget. As a former player you cherish it forever. There are people who played for bigger teams around the world who came back home and still want to experience it, and that really shows you how big the game is.
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"The atmosphere is something else," Lebese added.
"You push yourself without even being aware that you are doing it because of the atmosphere and the energy around the field.
"You go the extra mile. It's not an ordinary game where you can feel what you're doing, some of the things just happen automatically and you find yourself doing a little bit extra because of the atmosphere and the crowd and the magnitude of the game. It's one of the world's big derbies."
Lebese featured in 12 Soweto derbies during his time at Naturena and was part of the team which famously defeated Orlando Pirates in the final of the 2015 MTN8 cup competition, and he reveals that Chiefs' triumph that day remains one of the proudest achievements of his career.
"The most important one was the MTN8 final we won in Durban," the 33-year-old continues. "I was more part of it and more a part of the squad so I felt like I had contributed more, and to have the derby as a final, you can't ask for anything better than that. It was the biggest one I played in and the one I am most proud of.
"It was quite special to win it as well because it was that era where [George] Maluleke, [Mandla] Masango and I were there, where we took up the challenge and worked really hard to bring that trophy back. The fans started saying we were responsible for winning that cup, and that we had showed maturity so it was a great feeling."
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Lebese and his aforementioned former teammates are but a few of the famous names who have graced the Soweto derby over the years and he reveals that winning the match and claiming bragging rights is as important for the players as it is for the supporters.
"If the game is on Saturday, you can feel it from the Monday that this is not a normal game coming," he says.
"The training is different, the concentration levels are higher. There are already supporters coming to the training camps, or people driving and flying down from around the country for the game, wanting to experience the vibe of the derby. As a player, going around and seeing that, and with all the media attention, it tells you how important the game is.
"And then it's war on the day. I know most of the players, we do speak to each other as rivals at other times, but derby week is the week where I don't know you and you don't know me. It's just war. It's very important and as much as the coaches and the management would like to stress how important it is, the players already know. It's just a reminder that it is what you think it is. Everyone is aware, in both camps, how important this game is."
Despite just one point separating fifth-placed Chiefs from fourth-placed Pirates in the DStv Premiership standings, the teams will meet in differing moods on Saturday after last weekend's MTN8 semi-finals in which the former were eliminated by AmaZulu and the latter progressed to the final with a comprehensive 3-0 in over Mamelodi Sundowns.
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Lebese is of the view that victory over the old enemy will heal the wounds of Chiefs' premature cup exit and predicts that his former side could come away with all three points despite the odds being in favour of the Buccaneers.
"It's very important to win the derby," he concludes "You get away with a lot. Like, when you are on Chiefs side, having lost the semi-final and not made the final, winning this one will get the supporters to forgive you for that.
"It's more important for Kaizer Chiefs to win it because all of the supporters are hurting right now having not made it to the final, and the team hasn't won a trophy in a long time, which is not a good thing for a club as big as Chiefs. It's actually disappointing, but I know the club and the players are working hard to try and change that fact, because Chiefs are not a club that can go so long without lifting silverware, it just doesn't make sense.
"What I don't expect, is a nil-nil draw. I don't think it's going to go there, because, honestly, Pirates are coming in as favourites and Kaizer Chiefs are on the back foot right now after losing in the MTN8.
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"Pirates look like they are picking up some momentum, and having watched their games, they are getting certain things right and playing like the big team that they are, whereas Chiefs are still struggling to find their combinations and making use of the players they have and the style they want to play, which I think is lacking.
"Even in some of the games they won, it's hard to pin-point how they are playing, or what style they prefer and how they want to attack. I am still struggling to see that but come derby day, it's a different story, and from my experience, normally the team that comes in as favourites doesn't do well in the derby.
"Right now, if I were to put my predictions in from what I've seen, you would say Pirates are going to win because they look stronger, they have stronger players, and I like how some of them play, but from my experience, I think Chiefs will want this game more and come in hungrier and more willing to fight and I think they will win it."
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