When the two clubs meet on Sunday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Ramahlwe Mphahlele will face Kaizer Chiefs for the third time this season in his new AmaZulu uniform.
AmaZulu are hoping to reach only their second cup final in the history of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and will have to overcome Chiefs in the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final.
The 32-year-old Mphahlele has made a shocking assertion before facing his former team, stating that Amakhosi attacker Khama Billiat is the finest player in the league.
“Without a doubt, he is still the finest player in the PSL in my opinion. Show me a player who is superior to him, and then we can speak. You know how it goes (in this nation), when a guy goes four or five games without scoring, people begin to criticize him, but I still consider him the best player “asserted Mphahlele
Mphahlele has shared the locker room with Billiat for over six years, seen him blossom as one of the league’s top players during Mamelodi Sundowns’ and later Chiefs’ trophy-laden periods.
Billiat, now 32 years old, is without a doubt one of the best players to ever grace this league. The former Zimbabwean international attacker is only six goals away from reaching the century mark in the PSL, and he has an unbelievable assist total of 95.
Due to Caleb Bimenyimana’s injury, it is not surprising that Mphahlele has adopted a cautious approach towards the Billiat-led Chiefs assault that lacks the team’s current leading scorer.
“They have excellent players, Khama is back, (Ashley) Du Preez is a nightmare, and (Keagan) Dolly and (Kgaogelo) Sekgota are dangerous,” Mphahlele stated.
And any of these players might do the job on any given day, so it doesn’t matter if Caleb is there or not; they have the personnel to damage anyone.
Amakhosi must score at least one goal in order to go to the final against either Sundowns or archrivals Orlando Pirates, given they conceded an away goal in the first leg against Usuthu.
Usuthu will seek to improve their dismal record against the visiting Glamour Boys. AmaZulu have never defeated Chiefs in Durban; their two previous victories against Amakhosi came on the road.
On Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the second semifinal between Chiefs and AmaZulu will begin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.