The Hollywoodbets Super League resumes with six enticing games being played this weekend. Two teams will sit this week out, namely JVW FC and UWC Ladies, both teams have players on national team duty in Nigeria.
The pick of the matches sees second-placed TUT Ladies lock horns with log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, so without further ado, let’s get stuck into our weekly preview!
Saturday 18 September
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies 6/10
Draw 2/1
TUT Ladies 4/1
(15:00)
The reigning-champions return home to the Groenkloof Stadium for Hollywoodbets Super League action after successfully booking their ticket to the first edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League in style.
Masandawana find themselves atop the log standings by a single point despite playing three fewer games than their nearest challengers, this week’s opponent TUT Ladies.
The Brazilians will be without forward Melinda Kgadiete, who’s currently with the Banyana Banyana squad in Nigeria. The team will have to step up with the absence of their top goal-scorer when Sundowns wrote their names in the history books, being crowned the inaugural winners of the 2021 CAF COSAFA Cup tournament held in Durban.
TUT Ladies suffered a 4-1 defeat to Masandawana earlier in the season but have improved in leaps and bounds since then. The visitors were outclassed by a masterful Chuene Morifi performance, who earned the Player of the Match award, scoring twice and giving her side a two-goal cushion as early as the 30th minute.
However, the visiting team will fancy their chances after winning four games on the trot, including three clean sheets and also broke UWC Ladies unbeaten record in Cape Town, making this a fascinating encounter.
Away from home, TUT have only suffered one defeat, a 2-0 loss to JVW FC at the Tsakane Stadium. This weekend my money is on Sundowns beating TUT Ladies by a narrow margin in a cagey and hard-fought battle.
Thunderbirds Ladies 15/10
Draw 2/1
Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies 16/10
(15:00)
Thunderbirds Ladies weren’t in action last weekend, so they’ve had time to iron out the kinks in their armour which saw the Birds suffer their biggest defeat on home soil, losing 3-0 to coach Thinasonke Mbuli’s impressive UWC Ladies.
Bloemfontein Celtic on the other hand had their previous match broadcasted live to Mzansi last Sunday, showcasing their skills in a 3-1 victory over Tsunami Queens as Lebohang Mokotla earned herself the Player of the Match award, while Nicole Michael opened their scoring with Cynthia Makete and Karabo Mofokeng securing a comfortable win during the second half.
Kgalebane Mohlakoana scored a hattrick when these sides met in Bloemfontein earlier this season, inspiring Siwelele to a 3-1 victory. Although this time around I’m expecting these sides to cancel out each other at 2/1 odds.
Ma-Indies Ladies 13/10
Draw 2/1
UJ Ladies 19/10
(15:00)
Ma-Indies Ladies play host to UJ Ladies at the Giyani Stadium hoping to end their eight-game winless streak. At home, Ma-Indies have drawn three of their most recent games against First Touch FC (2-2), Thunderbirds Ladies (1-1) and UWC Ladies (1-1).
Defender Thabana Molatelo will be aiming to marshal the defence in order to keep their fourth clean sheet in the league, making it possible to claim their fourth victory.
UJ Ladies’ goalkeeper Dineo Magagula suffered a nasty injury from a collision that forced her off with 10 minutes to play, leaving her teammates to battle it out without her during the 1-0 win over Richmond United ending their spell of eight games without a win.
Instead of backing a repeat of the previous meeting where both sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at UJ’s Soweto Campus, take UJ Ladies for all the marbles at 19/10.
First Touch FC 4/10
Draw 3/1
Durban Ladies 11/2
(15:00)
First Touch FC’s top goal scorer, Priscilla Pesa, struggled to breathe at half time last week and needed the assistance of an oxygen cylinder. Thankfully no further medical attention was needed for coach John Hlako’s number 11.
The hosts are now winless in three games and will be desperate to turn their fortunes around after drawing with Richmond United (0-0) and Ma-Indies (2-2), prior to last week’s shock defeat to Golden Ladies.
Durban Ladies will be looking to get back to winning ways after missing out on two weeks of action. The visitors went on an amazing run in June and July that catapulted themselves up the standings, before finishing off August without scoring a goal or winning a match.
My value bet comes in this game, take Durban Ladies to make the 1700-km round trip to Limpopo and return with maximum points at very profitable odds of 11/2.
Sunday 19 September
Richmond United 11/20
Draw 5/2
Tsunami Queens 9/2
(15:00)
Richmond United come into the clash as heavy favourites to make light work of the league’s bottom placed team. The ladies in red return home smarting from a narrow 1-0 loss at the hands of UJ Ladies.
Goals are expected with Richmond United scoring 15 teams on home soil. Tsunami Queens on the other hand are aiming to stop the rot. The visitors have lost nine games on the trot, but more worryingly have only scored once in five games on the road. The smart money says Richmond United claim the win at the AR Abass Stadium in Kimberley.
QUAD @ 50/1
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Win 6/10
Coal City Wizards Win 7/10
UJ Ladies Win 19/10
Durban Ladies Win 11/2
