[ad_1]
Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns are favorites to win the 2020-21 league title, says Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer.
As the first league season titled by DStv approaches, the 2020-21 campaign starts first next weekend with a cup competition: MTN8. The Pirates, who finished third in the Premiership last season, will face Cape Town, sixth place, in Saturday’s quarterfinals at Orlando Stadium.
At a pre-game press conference on Wednesday for that cup tie, Zinnbauer chose last season’s Premiership champions Sundowns, even though they have lost iconic coach Pitso Mosimane, and runner-up Chiefs as favorites for next league season.
“Sundowns won the treble last year, and they have lost the coach, but they won this move. He did a good job and I am happy that he was able to find a superior club in Africa, ”Zinnbauer said of Mosimane’s signing for Egyptian Al Ahly.
“But he, and the team he had, won three titles last season at Sundowns. And it is normal that they are the favorites.
“We can’t say now, ‘Sunsets are not favorites.’ They have, I don’t know, 40 or 50 players with the highest qualities in their squad.
“Kaizer Chiefs finished second. They were in first position for a long, long time, and in the last game they lost that position.
“They were in second place‚ and it is normal now that we say that both teams will fight for the title.
“But we have a chance. We are behind these clubs [where Pirates finished in 2019-20].
“And perhaps behind us there are also other clubs that may also want to fight for a title or a trophy this year.
“But for me it is the Sundowns or the Chiefs who are the favorites this season.”
The Chiefs led the 2019-20 league season for most of the campaign, but failed to beat Baroka FC on the final day (1-1 draw) to clinch the trophy, allowing the Sundowns to slip away from the fifth league championship. Mosimane at the club with a 3-0 win. against black leopards.
Downs won the Nedbank Cup a week later to close out a treble, having won the Telkom Knockout in December.
Mosimane left Downs two weeks ago to join Ahly, with Steve Komphela, Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena taking over for the Brazilians.
The Chiefs replaced last season’s coach Ernst Middendorp with four-time Premiership winner Gavin Hunt.
[ad_2]
