With the rivalry between the sides attracting the largest fanbase of the South African football loving fans, the Soweto Derby is recognised as one of the biggest derbies in Africa and potentially in the world too.

The rivalry stems from the fact that Kaizer Chiefs was formed by a former Orlando Pirates star Kaizer Motaung who left Orlando Pirates to go play professional soccer in the now defunct North American Soccer League for a team called the Atlanta Chiefs.

Upon returning home, Motaung found a lot of infighting among the hierarchy at Pirates and then he decided to form a team called Kaizer XI, which initially played friendly matches with various clubs in South Africa and then the entity evolved to being called Kaizer Chiefs.

The much anticipated derby was first contested on the 24th of January in 1970 when Orlando Pirates won 6-4 in the third-fourth playoff of the Rogue Beer Cup at the Orlando Stadium and although Chiefs was still a new soccer club, the match was already dubbed as the Match of the year.

53 years later, the 117th edition of the derby at the FNB Stadium sees AmaKhosi having the historic upper hand, as well as having won the last four meetings between the two clubs. 

Now they are seeking a fifth successive victory over Pirates, something they have not achieved since they won six in a row between February 1991 and November 1992, they have also twice before won five games in a row, both back in the 1970s.

Overall AmaKhosi have 73 wins to Pirates’ 44 and 226 goal to 190 for the Buccaneers but statistics will count for little when the protagonists clash and also if we have to look at Chiefs' poor run in the league lately.

Despite the lack of consistency in the Chiefs camp, goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has called for patience from the Kaizer Chiefs fans who are gradually getting annoyed by the team's inconsistent run.

"We understand that Kaizer Chiefs is not the club the fans would have to wait and be patient with for not winning titles however, when you have new players in the set-up it becomes our responsibility as leaders and players who have been there to guide them, it is obviously not easy and it will not take just one game to turn things around, it will take quite some time," Khune said.

Khune who was last in action for Chiefs during the 1-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns on the 21st of January will be hoping that he will make his return to the starting XI of Amakhosi in the Soweto Derby as he is a player of such big moments.

On the contrast Pirates are the favourites going into the clash and striker Ndumiso Mabena has spoken about the team's ambitions to get the victory against Chiefs.

Mabena who has made his return to Pirates this season has mentioned that he is happy to be back at Pirates and what a time to be back ahead of the Soweto Derby.

"Pirates cannot afford to lose this time around as Chiefs stand to set a new record if that happens, we know Chiefs have won four in a row against us and they are gunning for a record fifth and we don't want that to happen," Mabena said.