Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs Face Key Midweek Betway Premiership Clashes
Here is a brief overview of the two fixtures.
Polokwane City Hosts Sundowns in Back to Back Encounters
Sundowns face two matches against Polokwane City within just five days, resembling a home and away cup matchup, yet both outcomes count towards league points.
The Wednesday away fixture was originally slated as Sundowns final league game of the season but got rescheduled because of their involvement in the CAF Champions League final.
The Sunday home game in Pretoria is another postponed match from earlier this year and coincides with the Nedbank Cup final weekend, so by Sunday evening, Sundowns might lead the table by five points, though they would have played one more game than Orlando Pirates in second place.
Pirates will hope that Polokwane can help them out by grabbing points from Sundowns in at least one of these games to tighten up the title contest once more.
This outcome is quite possible too. Polokwane defeated Sundowns 1 0 at home in the league last year and managed a 0 0 draw away in the previous season. Sundowns also required extra time to win 1 0 against them in the 2024 MTN8, indicating this side often challenges the Brazilians.
No draws have occurred between these teams in Polokwane. Across nine prior meetings, City secured three wins alongside six triumphs for Sundowns.
Miguel Cardosos team is experiencing consecutive league draws for the first time in more than two years, and they have not seen three straight draws since April 2023.
Polokwane remain unbeaten over four outings (W2 D2) and have suffered only two home defeats all season, although seven draws from their 13 matches is excessive.
A victory would elevate them to fifth position, rounding off a strong campaign thus far. Such a result would probably confirm their spot in next seasons MTN8 as well.
Chiefs Aim to Lock Down Third Spot
Chiefs could nearly guarantee a top three finish with an away win over Siwelele on Wednesday, but they need to avoid a stalemate.
Chiefs hold a five point lead over fourth placed AmaZulu with one match still to play, and widening that margin to eight would make it tough for them to lose that position in the remaining four games.
Siwelele are enduring three successive draws and have recorded 11 in 25 games this season, surpassing any other top division side.
They have scored just 13 goals, the fewest in the elite league, yet boast the fifth strongest defence, conceding only 17.
With a combined 30 goals in 25 matches at either end, excitement has been limited for supporters, suggesting a single goal could decide this encounter for either team.
Chiefs have excelled away from home this term, averaging precisely two points per game across 11 fixtures and suffering only one loss, which came at Richards Bay last month.
They have let in just four goals on their travels, while Siwelele have conceded a mere five at home in 12 outings.