Too early to label Sundowns as champions – Baxter

Stuart Baxter, head coach of Kaizer Chiefs

Wednesday Nov 17, 2021. 12:00

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter says it is still too early in the 2021-22 DStv Premiership season to say that Mamelodi Sundowns will definitely claim the title.

The Tshwane club has won the last four successive league championships in South Africa’s top flight and look very much on course to make it five in a row.

The Brazilians are top of the log with 25 points from a possible 27 and have yet to even concede a goal in league action this term.

Chiefs, by contrast, are already 10 points adrift of ‘Downs (having played a game more) but Baxter has not given up hope that his team – or another – will beat the league leaders to the title.

“Not at all, not at all. If you put that to them now… they’d probably laugh at you. We have to knock them off their perch,” Baxter insisted, as quoted by Sowetan Live.

“I think what we find in the league is that even though new teams, let’s say new names appear [in the title race] it doesn’t mean that’s a small team. We’re a new team.”

Baxter added, “There are still some other good teams who’re competitive, hence it won’t be easy to say they [Sundowns] are already gone with it.”

Chiefs and Sundowns will both be in action in a full round of DStv Premiership matches this weekend, with the Brazilians away to Cape Town on the evening of Saturday 20 November and Chiefs visiting Maritzburg United 24 hours later.