Kaizer Chiefs will host Orlando Pirates in Sunday's latest edition of the Soweto Derby feeling the weight of their worst run of form in the PSL-era league ahead of the battle against their biggest rivals.
Mid-table Chiefs are without a win in their last six league matches having lost twice and drawn four, picking up just four points from the 18 that have been available to play for. This has sunk them down to 11th on DStv Premiership table.
In the last six league games they have been like a flea market, with all their opponents picking up either one or three points be it Maritzburg United, SuperSport United, AmaZulu, Pirates, Baroka or Stellenbosch.
Prior to this poor run the worst that Chiefs had been in the six league games played ahead of a battle for points with Pirates was in 2005 during Ernst Middendorp's first spell in charge of the club.
Chiefs drew six in a row, pocketing six points from 18, ahead of their meeting with Pirates in October 2005 and scoring just thrice through that spell. But they somehow found their form on the big stage with David Obua's early goal draining Pirates before Gert Schalkwyk added the second late in the game for a 2-0 win.
View some classic pics of Obua and Schalkwyk in the gallery above
It was the season when the German gaffer was nicknamed 'Middendraw' when Amakhosi played to stalemates in 14 of their 30 league games.
They ended that season (2005/06) behind second-placed Pirates, who let the title slip for the second year surrendering it to Mamelodi Sundowns after having handed it to Chiefs the previous season.
Right now, AmaKhosi will remain in the bottom half regardless of what happens against Pirates on Sunday and will remain outside the top eight going into the resumption of league games next month after the FIFA calendar week.
However, Chiefs may feel encouraged by that the last time they went into a Soweto Derby having failed to win in the six league games preceding, they came out victorious in 2005.
What is worrying for Chiefs is that they have lost all three matches against Pirates since Gavin Hunt took over at the beginning of the season.
