MATSHELANE MAMABOLO
FRESH from suffering a thorough pasting at Stellensboch FC in the Nedbank Cup over the weekend, SuperSport United host Polokwane City in the DStv Premiership tonight eager to make up for the humiliation by bagging maximum points.
Gavin Hunt’s men were smashed 4-0 in the quarter-final of the competition they love to win and it will be interesting to see how the highly decorated coach lifts his team from the doom and gloom when City come to visit.
Having expressed a desire to return to continental competition again next season, the elimination from the Nedbank Cup has now left Hunt having to lead SuperSport to a runners-up berth in the championship to realise that goal.
It is a tough ask. Matsatsantsa a Pitori are currently in sixth place, four points behind the second-placed Stellies with eight matches left in the campaign. It is why they have to put City to the sword at the Lucas Moripe Stadium tonight or kiss CAF participation goodbye.
They are on a five-match winless run, though, and that could weigh heavily against them, though Hunt will no doubt rather stress to his team the fact that they have won five times at this evening’s match venue.
City have ambitions of a top-eight finish and will be eager to get something out of this encounter as they bid to end a wretched away run of just three victories this season. What will inspire the Limpopo outfit, though, is that they have had the better of their adversaries already this season, albeit in a cup competition.
Back in October, when they were still under the guidance of Lehlohonolo Seema, Rise and Shine walloped SuperSport 4-1 in the Carling Knockout at the Tuks Stadium. And having held them goalless in the league’s opening round match, City have good reason to believe they have what it takes to leave Atteridgeville with something.
The match kicks off at 7.30pm.
In the evening’s other match, the high-flying Stellies will be looking to cement second spot when they visit Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Steve Barker’s team are looking to stretch their unbeaten run to an impressive 22 successive matches and given how they made light work of SuperSport at the weekend, the smart money should surely be on them to win tonight.
Football is a fickle sport at the top, though, and Sekhukhune are there too. Babina Noko are in fourth spot and you can bet they will be keen to have a go at that continental football ticket that comes with finishing in second position.
They enjoyed their CAF Confederation Cup participation as they reached the group stages, so bet on Seema and his boys to give it their all to send Stellies back to the Mother City with their tails between their legs.
Sekhkhune have also been in form as they registered their best winning run of five successive league matches and they are unbeaten in eight in the championship.
Intriguingly, the two teams’ last league match was against each other in Stellenbosch and it ended goalless.