Written by Darry Worthington for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Mamelodi Sundowns v SuperSport United | Saturday 7 November | Lucas Moripe Stadium | 20:15
PSL table-toppers, Mamelodi Sundowns, host SuperSport United in the second Telkom Knockout semi-final on Saturday evening. With the coveted cup now very much in reach, both teams will be going all out to ensure they book their place in the final.
To Win (90 mins)Sundowns 11/20
Draw 26/10
SuperSport 11/2
To Qualify
Sundowns 1/4
SuperSport 28/10
Sundowns
The Brazilians come into this game off a 1-0 league victory over Chippa United that saw them move to the top of the PSL standings. The win was Sundowns sixth league win of the season. Most of those victories have come in recent weeks so they will head into the semi-final with a lot of confidence.
While it took them a bit of time to find their rhythm in the league, it’s been a completely different story in the TKO. They have been in devastating form on their run to the semi-finals; defeating Chippa United by a 2-0 scoreline in the first round and then mauling an in form Free State Stars side in the quarter-finals.
Teko Modise may play a vital role for ‘Downs on Saturday. He has the ability to dictate the pace of the game as well as draw defenders out of position by playing between the lines. With SuperSport likely to employ a rigid defensive system, those attributes may well be the key in unlocking Matsatsantsa’s defence.
SuperSport
United have endured a slow start to their league campaign, which has seen them only win two of their ten games; ironically, this is the exact same amount of games as they’ve won in the cup. They come into this fixture off the back of a 1-1 league draw with Bloemfontein Celtic.
While they haven’t scored as many goals as Sundowns on their road to the semi-final, they do have a healthy scoring average of 2.5 goals per game. United also have a solid defensive record, only conceding twice in the competition thus.
As I mentioned earlier, SuperSport are likely to go into this game with a conservative attitude that sees them set up to play on the counter. If they do go this route, their back four cannot afford to switch off for a second as they will be punished by the Brazilians clinical finishers.
Verdict: Draw 26/10
Knowing how meticulous Gordan Ingesund is, he’s probably spent the majority of the week analysing every flaw in Sundowns’ game. I think the SuperSport mentor will be happy for this one to go to extra time and if his side follows his instructions to a word, they may well be able to keep the scores level for 90 minutes.
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