It’s a sad time for South African football as we mourn the death of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa. It should be an emotional gameweek with the rest of the PSL teams paying their respects to the great man. May his soul Rest In Peace. The Soweto Derby has since been postponed which leaves us with seven fixtures this weekend.
Moroka Swallows 13/10 draw 2/1 Platinum Stars 21/10
Five consecutive losses resulted in Moroka Swallows’ coach resigning, leaving his assistant Fani Madida as caretaker coach against Kaizer Chiefs last Wednesday evening. Madida started his reign off in style by stopping Chiefs’ record breaking winning run by holding them to a 1-1 draw. Madida could impress the Swallows owner even further as they host struggling Platinum Stars to the Dobsinville Stadium on Friday night. Platinum have lost four of their five away matches in the league this season. Swallows have won the last three meetings between the sides and are tipped to make it four here.
Maritzburg 8/10 draw 23/10 Uni. Of Pretoria 33/10
Maritzburg United find themselves in an unfamiliar third spot on the table. The KwaZulu Natal team are prospering in Steve Komphela’s second season in charge and are coming off a comprehensive 4-1 victory away to SuperSport. They will host a struggling University of Pretoria side who are winless in their last six matches. AmaTuks have lost all four home games but have surprisingly been better on the road where they have claimed one win and three draws while suffering only 1 loss. This fixture has been drawn for the past two seasons with a 0-0 draw last season and a 1-1 draw the season prior. The Under 2.5 Goals market looks a banker bet at 6/10.
AmaZulu 16/10 draw 21/10 Black Aces 16/10
AmaZulu are still winless in the league with five losses and four draws. They host a Black Aces side who are coming off two superb victories winning 3-2 away to Swallows and 2-1 at home to Pirates last time out. AmaZulu are struggling to find a winning formula in attack and will welcome a team who are not short in that department. Aces have won four of the last five meetings between the sides and the away win looks a valuable pick.
Sundowns 5/10 draw 26/10 Free State Stars 6/1
Sundowns are struggling to find the form that brought them the league title last season but will be confident of all three points when they host Free State Stars whom they have brushed off with relative ease in the past few seasons. Free State have lost their last three away matches, scoring just one goal. Sundowns look a certainty for the home win.
Polokwane 14/10 draw 21/10 Chippa 19/10
Polokwane City are still without a home win and will host the in-form Chippa United who are unbeaten in their last five games with three wins and two draws. Polokwane, however, are coming off a good 2-0 away victory over Bidvest Wits. Chippa have been inconsistent on the road losing two and winning two of their four matches and scoring just three goals. The home win is tipped.
Ajax 12/10 draw 21/10 SuperSport 22/10
Ajax continued their excellent home record in the league when they ousted Platinum Stars 2-1 last week. SuperSport slipped up against Maritzburg United in their last league outing, losing 4-1 at home to Maritzburg. However, they got back to winning ways with a 2-1 away win over Bidvest Wits in the Telkom Knockout last weekend. The draw is on the cards in what will be SuperSport’s first draw of the season and Ajax’s first draw at home.
Bloemfontein Celtic 13/10 draw 21/10 Wits 2/1
Bloemfontein Celtic are coming off a 2-1 away win over Pretoria University and will return to their home stadium where they have managed to score an average of two goals a game. Wits are coming off two home losses, going down 2-0 to Polokwane and 2-1 to SuperSport in the Cup last weekend. Wits have scored just two goals on the road this season from four travels. Celtic won their last home match 5-1 against Polokwane – the same team who beat Wits last week. Back Celtic for the win.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
Soccer Pro’s Picks
Swallows WIN 13/10
Maritzburg Under 2.5 Goals 6/10
Black Aces WIN 16/10
Sundowns WIN 5/10
Polokwane WIN 14/10
Ajax DRAW 21/10
Celtic WIN 13/10