The retired left-back has also backed the Amakhosi management's decision to appoint Gavin Hunt as the head coach
Ex-Mamelodi Sundowns defender James Mayinga has explained believes it could well be a boost for his former side to open their 2020/21 campaign against rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
A blockbuster clash between the two Gauteng giants is set to headline matchday one of the new Premier Soccer League season on October 24.
They were the top two teams in the PSL in the recent 2019/20 season as Chiefs finished as runners-up after being beaten to the league title by Sundowns on the last day of the campaign.
Mayinga believes that an early clash between Amakhosi and the Brazilians will give the coaches a true reflection of what their teams are capable of.
“They are currently working on their teams and sharpening them,” Mayinga told The Citizen. “So, if you start with smaller fixtures it can get you to believe that you have got things right and when you get to a big fixture in the middle of your campaign, and you lose it, it then cripples you big time.
“However, if you play this big fixture now and you lose it, it gives you a real indication of where you still need to fix and you get to do that early while you have more time regroup and get back on track,” he explained.
Mayinga was part of the Sundowns team which finished second in the league in the 2009/10 season and he went on to play for Moroka Swallows and Bidvest Wits, before retiring from professional football in 2013.
Mayinga also backed new Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt, as he believes the accomplished tactician can turn things around at the Naturena-based giants.
“We all know what Gavin has achieved and what he is capable of," the 42-year-old added. "He is the right man to get Chiefs back on track. Hunt replaced Ernst Middendorp who was fired by Amakhosi."
Hunt won major trophies with his last three clubs, Swallows, SuperSport United and Wits, and he will be hoping to end Chiefs' five-year trophy drought.
Amakhosi will start the new season with the MTN8 quarter-final encounter against Maritzburg United at the 2010 Fifa World Cup final venue, FNB Stadium on October 18.