With Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs set to renew their rivalry in a few days' time, both sets of players from the two camps will want to be ready during the build-up to the match in order to impress their respective coaches to be in their starting line-ups.
But with the first Absa Premiership Soweto Derby of the 2018/19 season scheduled for October 27, Bucs and Amakhosi will first have to face the first task at hand this weekend, in the Telkom Knockout competition.
Read: Bucs On Soweto Derby Tickets Ahead Of TKO
As the Buccaneers will be playing Chippa United at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday in the competition, and with Chiefs hosting Black Leopards at the FNB Stadium on Sunday, at least one player from each of the two sides would be at risk of missing the Soweto Derby, if they are selected to play by their respective coaches.
Pirates' Ben Motshwari and Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya from Chiefs are both currently on three yellow cards each, which means that should one of them or both pick up yellow cards this weekend, they would automatically be suspended for the Soweto Derby.
Motshwari's suspension would be a blow for Milutin Sredojevic and his team at Bucs, as the former Bidvest Wits midfielder has been one of the influential players for the side so far this season, having featured in seven out of 10 of their matches.
Read: Bucs' Unusual TKO Record, Will Micho Change It For The Better?
On the opposing side, Ntiya-Ntiya who seems to have moved down the pecking order in Giovanni Solinas' team, as he has been on the bench in all three of their most recent league matches. Ugandan Godfrey Walusimbi has played ahead of him and will be keen on regaining his place in the starting line-up.
Ntiya-Ntiya had been the first choice for Solinas earlier in the season, as he started in six consecutive matches in Chiefs' opening matches of the season.
