Kaizer Chiefs bid for a third Premier Soccer League title in four seasons will begin in earnest on the 27th August (Sunday) when Amakhosi will make the short trip from Johannesburg to Tshwane where they will face SuperSport United in their opening fixture of the 2006 – 2007 season.

The game which kicks off at 15h00 will see Chiefs take on a tricky opponent and one that has given Chiefs a couple of nervy moments down the years, although in 2004 – 2005 victory for Chiefs in this fixture ultimately landed Amakhosi the title.

Last season the corresponding fixture was played in a torrential downpour in the capital and ended honours even as Abram Raselamane opened the scoring in the first half only four Louis Agyemang to bring Chiefs level later in the game.

Three of the Amakhosi’s first five games of the season are away from home; two of their opponents in these games are against newly promoted teams in the form of Benoni Premier United and Bidvest Wits University.

The latter having been relegated two seasons ago to the Mvela Golden League made a speedy comeback to the top flight, after a solitary season in the lower divisions. Commenting on receiving his copy of the 2006 – 2007 fixtures Amakhosi coach Ernst Middendorp said, “to us it really does not matter who you play first because sometime in a season you will face all the teams in the league.

Really I do not have a problem whether we had to play Pirates or Sundowns early on, the important thing is that we start the season off on a winning note”.

Chiefs will face the defending PSL Champions Mamelodi Sundowns at home in Johannesburg on the 14th October and will play the Brazilians for a second time, when they travel to Mabopane on the 3rd February next year. Fans will have to wait five months into the season for the first clash between Amakhosi and arch rivals Orlando Pirates, which will happen on the 9th December.

Pirates will host Chiefs in the second Soweto derby on Saturday 28th April 2007, the game is scheduled to take place at Ellis Park it will be the first time a match between the two teams will be staged at the venue since April 2001.

Although The Amakhosi’s league fixtures are due to start on the 27th August, Chiefs season will officially get underway when they play their first match of the SAA Supa 8 tournament which will take place on either the weekend of the 11th or the 18th August.

Should the league keep the same format for the event as they have in the past whereby teams play against each other in a best vs. worst format, then in all likelihood Chiefs who ended last season in third place should face off with Golden Arrows who ended the season in sixth spot.