Stellenbosch FC may have had a flying start in the MTN8 and went all the way to reach the final, but it has not been the case with their league performances. They will seek to rectify this quickly with Mamelodi Sundowns being their next task to do so.
The team from the Winelands of Stellenbosch will be hosting the reigning league champions in what is expected to be a highly contested Betway Premiership encounter at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon. The game will get underway at 3pm.
Stellies head into the match languishing at the bottom half of the league standings with four points after a similar number of outings.
They only managed to win one game, drawing the other and losing two at the hands of the two Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
So, a win against Sundowns would be an ideal result for coach Steve Barker and his troops and pick up from where they left off against Marumo Gallants, especially with the FIFA break on the horizon.
Gallant win
“I think it was very important for us to get the win against Gallants at home. The win got us up and running in the league and has given us the confidence and belief that we can record back-to-back wins,” Barker said.
“The belief is high, and there is a lot of excitement in the camp around playing against a team like Sundowns. It’s important to close off this block of fixtures on a high note by putting in a big performance.
“It would be nice to go into the break on the back of a win, and then have the FIFA international break and a cup final to look forward to. So it would be really good for us if we can finish this block strongly.
“That would send us into the break with a high level of confidence, having got ourselves back into the position we want to be in on the table, and in a position to fully concentrate on preparing for the final.”
Stellies go up against a Sundowns side that is also facing pressures of its own, following their topsy-turvy results both in the league and MTN8.
The Brazilians missed out on the opportunity to play the top-eight final again this season, and go into the Stellies game at the back of a frustrating goalless draw against an in-form Amakhosi side.
So, like Barker, Downs coach Miguel Cardoso will ideally want to head into the break on a positive note, and that would be snatching all three points against Stellies in their backyard.
