This weekend it will be all systems go when the local Premier Soccer League goes into its penultimate fixture for the 2018/19 season.
Sitting in seventh position for the longest time, Kaizer Chiefs have not been making any headway when it comes to climbing up the log standings will be hosting Free State Stars this coming Saturday. This match does not get any easier for the Naturena-based club as Ea Lla Koto fight to keep their PSL status alive.
This week, former Orlando Pirates midfielder Thulasizwe Mbuyane gets in on the action that will be taking place and gives us his predictions on this game and more!
Kaizer Chiefs v Free State Stars (Premier Soccer League)
Match 4 Soccer 6 Pool 4 May S6 V3 P1
League Rankings: Kaizer Chiefs 7th Free State Stars 13th
Useful facts: It just gets tougher and tougher for Kaizer Chiefs, who have not been making any headway in the league in recent times, as evidenced by their position on the standings. After succumbing to Bloemfontein Celtic, they are now up against Celtic's neighbours Free State Stars, hoping for nothing less than three points. Interestingly, though, not even that will be good enough to move them from seventh place! Failure to win this game could have disastrous consequences for the Glamour Boys, who would then possibly have to wait for the last day of the season to see if they do make it into the Top Eight depending on other results. Free State Stars are also in a battle of their own, trying to keep their Absa Premiership status, and the pressure levels are at an all-time high in their camp, after losing 2-1 to Golden Arrows on the weekend. Both teams need a win – that is a non-negotiable – but perhaps the pressure is more on Chiefs and Ea Lla Koto could use that to their advantage.
Thulasizwe Mbuyane: Kaizer Chiefs win
Maritzburg United v SuperSport United (Premier Soccer League)
Match 5 Soccer 6 Pool 4 May S6 V3 P1
League Rankings: Maritzburg United 16th SuperSport United 6th
Useful facts: Maritzburg United finally won a game of football last weekend, beating Black Leopards 2-1, but are still rooted to the bottom of the league table. All that they can do is win against SuperSport United this Saturday and hope for Chippa United to falter, which will see them moving a position up going into the final game of the season. But Matsatsantsa a Pitori aren't sitting in sixth position by fluke – they have managed to pull themselves together after some inconsistent displays in the course of the season, and will be out to finish the season on a high. On paper, they should be too good for the Team of Choice, but the Harry Gwala crowd is famous for boosting the morale of the side in times of adversity and it should be no different this time around.
Thulasizwe Mbuyane: Maritzburg United win
Bidvest Wits v Baroka FC (English Premier League)
Match 6 Soccer 6 Pool 4 May S6 V3 P1
League Rankings: Bidvest Wits 3rd Baroka FC 12th
Useful facts: Bidvest Wits' 1-1 draw against SuperSport United last weekend dealt their title hopes a massive blow, and are now all but fighting for a CAF Champions League spot. It remains to be seen, then, how much motivation they have within them, especially considering they felt hard done by in that game, having had what appeared to be a legitimate goal disallowed. Nonetheless, Gavin Hunt's men will want to finish the season on a high, more so because they sat at the summit of the log standings for a long time before being unseated by Mamelodi Sundowns. Baroka FC did their survival ambitions a huge favour with last weekend's crucial 1-0 win over AmaZulu and will want to make sure they move away completely from the scrapheap with a victory at Bidvest Stadium. The last time the two outfits met, in December last year, the Clever Boys won 2-1; that was preceded by a 1-0 win by Bakgaga in the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout. Another tightly-contested encounter seems to be on the cards.
Thulasizwe Mbuyane: Bidvest Wits win
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