Amakhosi's league title hopes are fading by the week as Mamelodi Sundowns cruise at the top of the table, so Komphela's chance of lifting silverware this season rests on the Nedbank Cup, in which his charges face Pirates in the last 32 round at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Komphela ended Tinkler's hopes of winning the Telkom Knockout in the first half of the season with a victory for Chiefs via a penalty shootout in the semifinals. He is eager to get one over his counterpart again in a knockout competition.
"We've been through to two finals. We need to get something and get the season going. We do not want to only go to finals, we want to win finals," said Komphela on Thursday.
And he will come up against a stronger Tinkler, who believes he has finally found his best back four.
In his last three matches, Tinkler has fielded a settled combination of Patrick Phungwayo at left-back, Thabo Matlaba on the right, and Ayanda Gcaba and Edwin Gyimah as the central pair.
Pirates lost 1-0 to Free State Stars in Bethlehem two weeks ago, but have since beaten Mpumalanga Black Aces 3-1 in Nelspruit and Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
"With that back four we've managed to get good results. Thabo Matlaba, I think everyone recognises, is a versatile player. He can play with both feet," Tinkler said.
"The added value of having both Patrick and Thabo is that they are both very offensive wing-backs.
"We're trying to create consistency. And with the results coming, there is no need for me to tamper with the back four.
"This is the fifth time we're playing Chiefs this season - we know their strengths and weaknesses. And that might mean us having to tamper with the starting XI ."
Five reasons why the Soweto derby is not as good as we think it is:
1. Too many draws. Since 2010, 22 derbies have been played. Of those, 13 - or 59% - have ended in draws.
2. Worse still, too many goalless draws. Six of those 13 draws have been games with not a goal scored in them.
3. There are better matches. Regularly games involving Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, or Pirates and Sundowns, have provided better action. Away from the pressure cauldron of FNB Stadium, and the hype of the derby, players express themselves far better.
4. Too much huff, not enough puff. The two sets of players certainly put everything into trying to beat each other. But too often it's about the challenges flying in and number of kilometres covered, rather than the refinement, class or individual brilliance of players on the field. Defensive tactics from coaches don't help.
5. It's a bling thing. The derby has become a place to be seen.
Source:times live.co.za