When Kaizer Chiefs take to the field at 15:00 on Sunday afternoon at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville for their MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Mamelodi Sundowns, it would be just under a month since Chiefs closed off the 2020-21 season. Amakhosi were last in action on 17 July in the CAF Champions League final, and Sunday’s game will be their first for the 2021-22 season. It will also be Amakhosi’s 44^th participation in the top 8 competition under its various guises.

While all the chatter has been about Sundowns finishing as league winners and Chiefs at number 8, supporters would need to dive back into the archives to realise that Chiefs have held sway in meetings between the sides in this tournament and other cup competitions since 1996-97.

The sides first met in the MTN8 when it was still known as the BP Top8 in the 1992 final, which Chiefs won 1-0 courtesy of a lone goal from Ace Khuse. They met three more times in the final in 1994, 2001-02 and 2008-09. Chiefs won all of those encounters – the latter two on penalties, including their first meeting in this competition in 1992. The teams have met seven times in the MTN8. Amakhosi are ahead in the head to head count winning five clashes to Sundowns’ two.

Of their previous seven MTN8 clashes, two have been decided by penalty kicks with Chiefs winning both of those in the 2001-02 final and the 2008-09 final. In the PSL era since 1996-97, the teams have met an astonishing 16 times in cup games. Each team has managed 4 wins in open play with a further 7 seven heading to penalty shoot-outs and Chiefs have managed to win 6, with Sundowns claiming 1 win on spot kicks. Only one game ended in a draw.

Since their first meeting in this competition in 1992, the sides have met twice in the quarterfinals in 1993 and 2012-13. Both those games were won by Sundowns. Chiefs do know that on the five occasions that they have defeated Sundowns in the MTN 8, they have lifted the trophy four times. So, overcoming Sundowns in a cup game is a good sign for Amakhosi who will be vying for a record extending 16^th MTN8 title, a trophy the club last won in 2015 with Stuart Baxter in his first spell in charge of the team.

When Baxter started his first tenure at Chiefs in 2012, it was against Sundowns in the MTN8. Chiefs lost the match. While his first game domestically is against Sundowns again, Baxter will be hoping that he has had sufficient time in the last few weeks to have molded his team into being challengers once again for top honours.

In the three previous campaigns when Chiefs were in the MTN8 with Baxter at the helm, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2012-13, the semi-finals in 2013-14 and went all the way to lift the title in 2014-15.

Overall Chiefs have a good record in MTN8 quarterfinals in the PSL era. This is their 19^th appearance in the competition. In their previous 18 quarterfinals, they have recorded 13 wins all in open play and lost 5 games. None of Chiefs’ previous 18 MTN8 quarterfinals since the re-introduction of the competition in 2000-01 have required a penalty shoot-out.

Chiefs’ first game in the MTN8 way back in February 1972 ended 3-0 away win over Royal Morning Stars.

Victory against Sundowns will be what they need to kickstart their bid for a 16^th MTN8 crown. It will give Chiefs a boost ahead of the start of league action a week later.