Absa Premiership: Free State Stars v Bloemfontein Celtic
Date: 1 February 2014
Time: 15h00
Venue: Goble Park
Free State Stars host Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday afternoon, as both clubs return to Absa Premiership action in 2014 with the 'Free State derby'.
Stars, who are being led by caretaker-coach Themba Sithole are in second-last place on the table, with Celtic in 12th spot, but just three points ahead of their provincial rivals.
Free State Stars:
Averages per game for the season:
Shots on goal: 12.1
Entries into final third: 69.9
Successful passes: 219.1
Possession: 46.6%
Successful tackles: 29.4
Last three results:
Free State Stars 2-2 Moroka Swallows (Auro Okoriko 72’, Abdul Basit Adam 88’)
Mpumalanga Black Aces 1-0 Free State Stars
University of Pretoria 3-1 Free State Stars (Mashego 74’)
Key performers:
Defender: Themba Shabalala, 5.1 tackles per game
Midfielder: Paulus Masehe, 37.2 passes per game
Forward/Striker: Abdul Basit Adam, 3.1 shots per game
Top goal scorer:
Abdul Basit Adam (6)
Top assists:
Danny Venter (4)
Bloemfontein Celtic :
Averages per game for the season:
Shots on goal: 16.1
Entries into final third: 69.1
Successful passes: 300.1
Possession: 47.9%
Successful tackles: 22.3
Last three results:
Bidvest Wits 3-1 Bloemfontein Celtic (Mogorosi 49’)
Ajax Cape Town 2-1 Bloemfontein Celtic (Ntanga 61’)
Bloemfontein Celtic 3-0 Golden Arrows (Mhango 4’, Nthethe 23’, Ntanga 32’)
Key performers:
Defender: Thabo Nthethe, 3.1 tackles per game
Midfielder: Musa Nyatama , 44.7 passes per game
Striker: Lerato Manzini, 1.8 shots per game
Top goal scorer:
Lerato Manzini (4)
Top assists:
Hellings Mhango and Vuyani Ntanga (both 2)
