The Telkom Knockout reaches the quarter-final stage this weekend. All the big guns are still in the tournament and have avoided each other in the quarter-finals due to the seeding system for the draws. Kaizer Chiefs host Telkom Knockout holders Platinum Stars, while Orlando Pirates entertain Ajax Cape Town in Soweto. In the other ties, Absa Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns welcome embattled AmaZulu, and Bidvest Wits face visiting SuperSport United in the most evenly weighted of the fixtures. Please note at the time of writing the below teams had not played their midweek league matches.
Bidvest Wits vs SuperSport United | Saturday 25 October | Bidvest Stadium | 15:00
Wits and SuperSport kickstart the Telkom Knockout on Saturday afternoon in what looks to be the most balanced fixture. Wits have maintained their good league form from last season and lie in fourth spot, while SuperSport look a new team under ex-Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund. Wits earned their spot in the quarter-finals of the Telkom Knockout by whipping Moroka Swallows 3-0 at home. Igesund is working his magic at SuperSport as Matsatsantsa have managed to win all four games under their new coach. They earned a third consecutive three goal win in the league by smashing University of Pretoria 3-0 away from home in a Tshwane derby last weekend. This isn’t a fixture that SuperSport have fared well in in recent times with their last win against Wits coming in 2011. Wits have won two of the last five meetings since then with the sides sharing the spoils in the other three encounters. With both sides possessing solid backlines the draw at 22/10 looks the most likely result for the fourth time in six matches.
Mamelodi Sundowns vs AmaZulu | Saturday 25 October | Loftus Stadium | 17:30
Mamelodi Sundowns booked their spot in the next round of the Telkom Knockout after defeating University of Pretoria 2-1 in extra time at Loftus Stadium after an Elias Pelembe scorcher. A string of wins in the league has seen the defending champions climb up the table. They were dealt the easiest opponents from the four seeded teams in bottom of the log AmaZulu. AmaZulu’s only win this season has come in the Telkom Knockout first round when they defeated Bloem Celtic 3-2 at home. From being two goals down, AmaZulu came back from the dressing room at halftime and performed ‘miracles’ to overcome Celtic. Caretaker coach Wilfred Mugeyi has failed to change much since Craig Rosslee was fired and AmaZulu could be in for a long ninety minutes here. Sundowns have beaten AmaZulu six times in the last eight meetings with only two encounters ending in draws. Sundowns are a banker bet for the win at 4/10.
Orlando Pirates vs Ajax Cape Town | Saturday 25 October | Orlando Stadium | 20:15
Former Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa will take on the team he launched to the MTN8, Telkom Knockout and CAF Champions League finals last season. Now with Ajax Cape Town, the head coach has an ideal opportunity to make his former Bucs bosses regret letting him go. Pirates have reached every single final since De Sa’s time in charge, extending to new coach Vladimir Vermezovic’s tenure. This tie pits them against each other in what is the match of the quarter-final round. Vermezovic has since won the Nedbank Cup. De Sa had lost all three of his Cup finals at the helm. The Buccaneers go into this match having managed to beat Polokwane City and Free State Stars in their last two matches at home, having not lost on their turf in all competitions this season. Ajax have been strong at home, failing to beat only Kaizer Chiefs, but have proven inconsistent on the road. However, they are a strong unit and after going down 1-0 to Chiefs they should do better against Pirates. The draw is tipped at 23/10.
Kaizer Chiefs vs Platinum Stars | Sunday 26 October | FNB Stadium | 15:00
League leaders Kaizer Chiefs will play defending Telkom Knockout champions Platinum Stars, having recently changed their destiny in head-to-head games against Dikwena. They have already met this season in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals over two legs and in a league encounter, with AmaKhosi winning all three matches and conceding not a single goal. Chiefs set a new PSL record of fifteen successive wins in all competitions when they beat Ajax 1-0 in Cape Town last Sunday. Platinum Stars started their title defence with a 1-0 home win over Chippa United in the first round of the Telkom Knockout. However, they are in bad form in the league at the time of writing and have lost their last two away matches to SuperSport and Maritzburg. Chiefs should continue their impressive form by claiming a victory here.
4-Leg Telkom Knockout Multiple Price: 24/1
