Pirates defender Ndah shrugs off that 'little guy' Duba's warning: 'They just scored a goal'

A Soweto derby isn't complete without a sprinkle of verbal jousting.

In derby week, broadcasters, fans and journalists alike eagerly wait for a fiery salvo to land from either the Orlando Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs camp to set the stage for an electrifying showdown.

With both teams in the shadow of Mamelodi Sundowns in what looks to be another one-horse DStv Premiership title race, the interest in the iconic clash between the two Soweto neighbours has dimmed in recent seasons.

And rightly so. Amakhosi have gone nearly a decade without any major silverware and their problems run deep - from quick turnover in coaches to players suffering injuries, they are a club that seems to be in an eternal restructuring phase.

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As for the Buccaneers, while they have claimed four cup titles in the past four seasons, the 'Big Fish' that is a league title has escaped them for 12 years.

But the words uttered by a young Chiefs midfielder, the 19-year-old Wandile Duba, who had just ended his club's goalless run spanning five hours of football when he scored against the struggling Golden Arrows on Tuesday, stirred the Soweto derby pot anew to entice an appetite for this old clash of giants at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

"It's not something that you can worry about," Duba said when asked about whether he was injured after the win against Arrows.

"I think the physios will do something, but I'll be okay for the derby.

Those three points could not have come at a better time for Chiefs, who ended their winless run in 2024.

And then Pirates had the wind knocked out of their sails on Wednesday when a late equaliser from Tanzanian forward Gadiel Michael Kamagi earned