'Chiefs can't stop Sundowns with their MDC kids'

That Kaizer Chiefs' squad is made up of some inexperienced players who recently graduated from the reserve league is the reason Bennet Mnguni believes they stand no chance against Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday's DStv Premiership match (FNB Stadium, 8pm).

Mnguni, the ex-Sundowns player, feels Chiefs won't stop the runaway table toppers – who have won 11 matches in a row to establish a 14-point lead at the top – and predicted another humiliation similar to the one Amakhosi suffered in the first round at Loftus last year.

Chiefs are smarting from a 0-4 drubbing at the hands of AmaZulu and, in that match, their matchday squad had some of their graduates from the reserve league, including Wandile Duba, Sabelo Radebe, Mduduzi Shabalala, Samkelo Zwane and Happy Mashiane.

"Five players from the MDC [reserve league]? Come on!" exclaimed Mnguni. "At least have three from the Diski Challenge and mix [them] up with experienced players to help the young kids to gel.

"Help them to have that confidence and those young players must prove themselves. But those young ones, I'm being honest with, you I don't see Chiefs beating Sundowns with the form they are having with these players.

"I mean, they are playing players who are not ready to play in the Premiership, but you just play them, I don’t know why. I don't know what other coaches are thinking about getting the players ready before you put them in.”

While everyone seems to write them off because of those two defeats against Sekhukhune United and AmaZulu, Chiefs have previously sprung surprises when least expected. Last season they were the only side to beat Sundowns in the league.

But Mnguni doesn’t see that happening this time.

“It was back then when they beat us, but now I don’t see them competing. Remember, we beat them 4-0 [in the first round in August] and the boys were playing the same way they are doing now.

“When you play a team that has been winning games like Sundowns it’s difficult to plan. Sundowns will win against Chiefs and set a new record [of most wins in a row], we always break records.”

A victory for Sundowns will see them set a new record of 12 successive victories. They have currently matched the 11 successive victories they achieved in 2007.

Fixtures

Friday: CPT v Galaxy, Cape Town, 7.30pm; Sekhukhune v Swallows, Peter Mokaba, 7.30pm

Saturday: Arrows v Maritzburg, Princess Magogo, 3.30pm; Royal v Chippa, Chatsworth, 3.30pm; AmaZulu v Gallants, Moses Mabhida, 8pm; Chiefs v Sundowns, FNB, 8pm

Sunday: Pirates v Stellenbosch, Orlando, 3.30pm; SuperSport v Richards Bay, Lucas Moripe, 5.30pm