Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United do battle in the Tshwane derby on Tuesday evening, with much expectation after a thrilling Soweto Derby at the weekend.
Sundowns are on an impressive, unbeaten run, and are yet to lose this season, with questions raised as to whether the Tshwane derby can compete with clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
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Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena believes the Soweto Derby edges the Tshwane counterpart based on the historical nature amongst other factors.
“Good question, it’s difficult to compare because the Soweto Derby has history and we all know and that’s maybe what the Tshwane derby doesn’t have that much… It’s the history,” Mokwena told the media in a press conference after their match against Chippa United on Saturday.
“But I think in terms of the emotions, rivalry, for sure, it’s there. It’s a rivalry that’s why it’s called a derby and over the years both teams have been extremely successful especially in the previous recent history,” he added.
With the Tshwane boys proving their mantle in recent years by winning cups and league titles, amongst other accolades, has put them on a pedestal.
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Mokwena notes the successes have seen the Tshwane side shade the Soweto boys to a degree, but reiterated difficulty comparing the headline fixtures.
“There’s a lot of titles that are shared between SuperSport and Sundowns both in the league and in terms of cups so the prestige is there,” Mokwena said.
“The emotional connotation is there so it’s difficult to compare because the one has where you would say the emotions of a historical background and the other has emotions from the recent success of both teams.
“But I would say you can’t because then you go into the Milan derby and compare it to a Roma-Lazio for example you know so it’s completely different. But a derby is a derby and everyone wants to have the bragging rights of the city so it’s a difficult question to answer,” he added.
Sundowns are still unbeaten this season and opened a 12-point gap over second-place Pirates on Saturday through their 2-0 win over Chippa.
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