It has not been a week since the thrilling Soweto derby at the weekend, and football lovers will be in for another treat when Mamelodi Sundowns lock horns with SuperSport United in their highly anticipated Pretoria derby on Tuesday night.
Sundowns will be hosting SuperSport in a DStv Premiership encounter at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The match gets under way at 7.30pm.
Having suffered their last league defeat at the hands of SuperSport in September 2022, Sundowns defender Grant Kekana said they are expecting a tough match from their crosstown rivals.
Bragging rights
“It’s going to be another tough encounter; obviously, a derby is about bragging rights,” Kekana said.
“We know SuperSport; they are going to come out motivated. Also, considering that they have not won in the past three games, it’s another opportunity for them to try and get a positive result.
“But we planned properly. We know what to expect from them. We will try our best to limit their threats so we can come out with a victory.
“When it comes to derbies, form doesn’t really count for anything. It’s about who wants it the most on the day, and it is going to be very important that we are switched on from the first moment until the end.”
Matsatsantsa have been blowing hot and cold this season and are yet to record a win in open play across all competitions this year.
We need all three points
Ahead of the match, United captain Onismor Bhasera said everyone in the camp is aware of how crucial the match will be and what is at stake.
“I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded how important the match is; we are looking forward to it,” Bhasera said.
“They [SuperSport players] know that we need points. I think it’s going to be very important [to win], but you know how derbies are — the best team on the day [will win].
“We must make sure that we go out there and work as a team and apply everything that we have been working hard on this year.
“If we go out there and make sure that we maintain the bar and apply ourselves very well as per the coach’s instructions, I think we will come out with something.”
