Bidvest Wits’ title aspirations can be over in the next seven days as they face two tricky encounters against Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in a space of five days.
The Clever Boys meet Amakhosi on Wednesday at FNB Stadium in a do-or-die Absa Premiership showdown for both teams at 7.30pm. Three days later, Wits will square off against the Buccaneers at Orlando Stadium.
Wits coach Gavin Hunt is aware the next two games can decide their fate in the title race.
“You can say that but obviously they (Chiefs) are on top of the log and we play Pirates after we play them. We’ve got two games in hand and these two games are very important. We dropped points unnecessarily against Maritzburg United at home, we drew with Highlands Park and Chippa United. Those are the games that we should have won but you can see why we haven’t won those games - because of the goals we missed,” Hunt said.
Wits are sixth on the log with 38 points after 21 games. They are 10 points behind the leaders Chiefs. But if they win the next two games, the Clever Boys will cut the lead between themselves and Amakhosi to four points. Even after Wednesday, they still have to play Amakhosi at home. These are all the factors that make Wits believe that they still have a chance of displacing the Glamour Boys at the summit of the table.
Chiefs’ confidence is slightly dented. Last week they lost 1-0 to a relegation threatened AmaZulu side.
“There’s never a good time to face Chiefs. I think they’re gonna be hurting and they will be up (for the challenge). They have no game this weekend. My good friend always uses that famous saying: well rested team. My good friend (referring to Pitso Mosimane of Mamelodi Sundowns) says it every week and he is right. We’ve played maybe three games since their last game leading up to the game on Wednesday. Pirates as well are well rested,” Hunt said.
Wits walloped GladAfrica Championship outfit Real Kings 4-0 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont.
“The whole team will be tested in the next two games. Not only my central pairing but the whole team. We’ve got to work on the source to stop it (the threat of Chiefs and Pirates). We’ve got nothing to lose on Wednesday,” Hunt elaborated.
Hunt is not surprised that Chiefs are going through torrid times.
“I’ve been there. You wobble towards the end. It is always a wobble. They have done enough to build themselves a lead,” Hunt articulated.
The witty coach knows what he is talking about having won the league four times in his career. He is tied with Mosimane, Gordon Igesund and the late Ted Dumitru.