Cape Town Spurs slayed Soweto giants Orlando Pirates 2-1 to get their first win in the top-flight division and fourth tooth and nail to get a win against Kaizer but they fell 3-2 short. Things are not looking good for Orlando Pirates; they have been shy in the face of goals and have only registered one win since lifting the MTN 8 trophy.
Friday, November 10
6/10 Cape Town City | Draw 24/10 | Royal AM 9/2
The Citizens will be looking to extend their winning run to five matches in the league at the expense of Royal AM. City is currently positioned fourth on the log with 19 points and have scored nine goals in their past three league matches and conceded three. Their star striker Khanyisa Mayo who has scored six league goals this season is expected to be problematic for the visitors’ defence.
Relegation-threatened Thwihli Thwahla, on the other hand, is coming to this match highly motivated after defeating Golden Arrows 1-0 and before that they had suffered three back-to-back losses in this season’s campaign. They are currently sitting fourteenth on the log with eight points. They need to turn things around and start winning matches to clear off the relegation zone. Coach John Maduka needs to fix his defence as they have conceded six goals in their past four matches. Cape Town City is to come out victorious on this one.
Saturday, November 11
16/10 Kaizer Chiefs | Draw 18/10 | Orlando Pirates 18/10
This season’s first edition of the Soweto derby will come at a time when both Soweto giants are in desperate need of collecting all three points. They are both seated at the bottom of the log, Chiefs are currently 7th while Pirates are 10th. This will be coach Cavin Johnson’s third match at the helm for Amakhosi. He suffered a 2-1 defeat when he visited Golden Arrows in his first match and bounced back to his winning ways when he defeated Cape Town Spurs 3-2 on wednesday. Amakhosi have a score to settle in this match as Pirates knocked them out of the Nedbank Cup by defeating them 2-1 in their last meeting. This will be a highly contested match and players such as Edson Castillo, Yusuf Maart, Ashley Du Preez and Keegan Dolly are expected to cause problems for the Buccaneers.
Orlando Pirates on the other hand have been struggling to get positive results, they were knocked out of the Carling Knockout Cup by Richards Bay FC and before that, they suffered a 2-1 defeat by the newly promoted Cape Town Spurs. However they look to have bounced back to their winning ways after defeating Sekhukhune United 1-0 with Thembinkosi Lorch, Relebohile Ratomo and Evidence Makgopa having a great showing in the match, it’ll be interesting to see if they can replicate that stellar performance in the derby match. Stats and form usually do not mean much in the derby match as both teams usually pull out all the stops to come out victorious. I see the match ending in a draw.
13/10 Polokwane City | Draw 22/10 | Moroka Swallows 2/1
Polokwane City will now shift their focus to the DStv Premiership after a shocking 2-0 defeat they suffered against Stellenbosch FC which ended their Carling Knockout Cup campaign. They face a formidable Moroka Swallows side that will give them a run for their money. Rise and Shine held Orlando Pirates and Supersport United to1-1 draws respectively in their last two league matches and will be looking to use this match to get back to winning ways. They are currently sixth on the log with 16 points.
Steve Komphela’s side is currently fifth on the log and are separated by a point from Polokwane, a win will see the Dube Birds climb to fourth spot which is currently occupied by the on-form Cape Town City. On form, Tshegofatso Mabasa will be a man to trouble the home side’s defence. Both sides are evenly matched but with Polokwane City backed by their home fans, I see them edge out of Moroka Swallows
9/10 Chippa United | Draw 22/10 | Stellenbosch 28/10
This is a grudge match for coach Morgan Mammila after his side were knocked out of the Carling Knockout Cup by Stellies who defeated them 2-1. The Chilli Boys will be without Thabiso Lebitso and Elmo Kambindu who were both sent off in the match against AmaZulu. Coach Mammila will have to put extra effort into disciplining his players to avoid more suspensions. The Chilli boys will be aiming to avoid back to back losses as they were defeated 2-1 by Cape Town City in their last match.
Stellenbosch are heading to this match with their heads held high and will be aiming for a three wins streak having won their last two matches, they won their last match against Richards Bay FC 2-1 and before that they defeated Polokwane City 2-0 in the Carling Knockout Cup and will be looking to get back-to-back victories over Chippa. Steve Barker’s men have won two out of their past four meetings with Chippa, one clash ended in a draw and the Chilli boys were victorious on the other one. I see Stellies getting a double over Chippa.
Sunday, November 12
8/10 Golden Arrows | Draw 22/10 | AmaZulu 33/10
Golden Arrows woes continues, they recently suffered a 1-0 loss against Royal AM and before that match they lost 3-0 defeat in their clash against AmaZulu in the Carling Knockout quarterfinals, they are expected to fight tooth and nail in this game to bag the much-needed three points that will see them climb back to second position and continue to close the gap between them and Mamelodi Sundowns who are currently at the top of the table with 24 points. If Arrows win this match, they will be on 23 points. Abafana Bes’thende have had an impressive run in the league this year having only tasted defeat twice.
AmaZulu will be delighted to have their midfielder Ethan Brooks back in the line-up to strengthen the squad after missing the last match due to suspension. Usuthu have failed to record a victory in their last four league matches. They should use their last victory over Arrows as motivation and continue with their winning ways. However, a win against Mabhuti Khanyeza is easier said than done. Coach Pablo Franco Martin will be relying on the experience of Veli Mothwa, Abubakar Mobara, Ben Motshwari and Hendrick Ekstein to get back-to-back victories over their KZN rivals in a space of a week. I back Arrows to win.
13/10 Richards Bay FC | Draw 2/1 | Cape Town Spurs 2/1
Richards Bay FC will be going into this match highly motivated after booking their spot in the Carling Knockout semi-finals by knocking out Orlando Pirates on penalties. They have had an impressive showing at the cup and will need to replicate that performance in their league matches to be able to move away from the relegation zone. They are currently positioned fifteenth on the log with 6 points. They have lost four of their past five league games and the other tie ended in a draw, they are desperate to turn things around and start winning matches.
Spurs interim coach Sean Connor recorded the club’s first victory at the expense of Orlando Pirates and however side was defeated by Kaizer Chiefs but they showed more teeth and are capable of defeating the KZN side. A win against Richards Bay will see them on equal points and separated by goal-difference. Keegan Buchanan and 17-year-old Luke Baartman have been instrumental for Spurs and will be expected to continue with their impressive showing in this match. I see this Spurs ending winning this match.
15/4 Sekhukhune United | Draw 23/10 | SuperSport United 7/10
Things have not been going well for Sekhukhune, they recently suffered three back-to-back losses against Orlando Pirates who beat them 1-0, TS Galaxy who defeated them 2-0 in the league and 4-2 on penalties during the Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinals. They have failed to register a win in their past five league matches having played a draw and lost four. Babina Noko recently restructured its coaching department by sacking head coach Bandon Truter, assistant coach Morgan Gould and goalkeeper coach Johan Abselon. It will be interesting to see if these changes can yield positive results.
Second place SuperSport United will be looking to extend their DStv Premiership winning run to four matches in a row and to remain in the top 3 on the log. Matsatsantsa started the season on a high having won seven of their eleven league matches, two clashes has ended in a stalemate, and they have suffered defeat twice. They are viewed as the stronger side in this clash seeing that the gap between the two is eleven points. SuperSport United will come out victorious in this one.
