Maritzburg United coach John Maduka visits his former employer Royal AM on Wednesday evening at Chartworth Stadium for the first time after his shocking departure in June.
The Malawian mentor joined Maritzburg United shortly after leaving Royal AM ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Maduka had made history with Royal AM, leading them to a third place finish in the DStv Premiership which saw them qualifying for CAF Confederations Cup.
His move is believed to have stirred trouble at The Royal Ranch, leaving so many unanswered questions.
The club’s president Shauwn Mkhize made it clear that she didn’t want to part ways with the former Bloemfontein Celtic coach.
Coach Khabo Zondo was brought in to replace Maduka as head coach which also created lot of debate that led to the CEO Sinky Mnisi taking a long break.
Subsequent to that, the club added Dan Malesela in a co-coach capacity without the involvement of the estranged CEO, who was not in attendance at his unveiling.
The Team of Choice is coming Chatsworths high on confidence after recording their first ever win of the season against Chippa United.
On the other hand, Thwihli Thwahla, as Royal AM are affectionately known, have failed to win in their last three games.
They have succumbed to two back-to-back loses against Stellenborsch, Orlando Pirates before a draw against Marumo Gallants in their last game.
Maduka understands the toughness of the derby with expectations of both teams playing safe as they know each other.
“We are expecting a tough game, we know how they play, and we also know them.
“It’s one of those clashes where both teams will be conscious, we just need to be balanced and be able to take the game to them,” Maduka said after their win against Chippa.
This is the third meeting in recent history. In their first meeting, the Pietermaritzburg side beat Royal AM 1-0 before the MaMkhize-owned outfit won 2-1 in the return fixture.
