2023/24 DStv Premiership
Matchday 24
20-21 April 2024
The battle for second place remains intense as Stellenbosch, Orlando Pirates, Sekhukhune United, SuperSport United and TS Galaxy all vie for the final CAF Champions League berth.
Stellenbosch are still in pole position as they prepare to take on a resurgent TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday, April 21.
The Maroons extended their unbeaten run in the
DStv Premiership to 15 matches after playing out to a 1-1 draw with Sekhukhune United in midweek to go three points clear of Orlando Pirates.
The Rockets have been making steady progress since the end of November, losing just two of their last 10 outings. A 1-0 victory over SuperSport United on April 6 lifted them up to sixth in the standings, six points behind the Cape Winelands outfit with two games in hand.
Stellies head coach Steve Barker is eyeing a club-record 12th win of the season, having already matched the 11 achieved in 2021-22 when they finished fourth - their highest placing since earning promotion in 2019.
"Yes, if we get to 12 wins it would be magnificent for us as a football club and still have more games to play," said Barker. "So definitely a target for us. It does seem to be a record-breaking season."
Orlando Pirates have a chance to move into the runner-up spot for 24 hours at least when they welcome AmaZulu to the Orlando Stadium on Saturday, April 20.
The Buccaneers vastly improved their goal difference with a 7-1 thrashing of Golden Arrows on April 6 to pull one ahead of Stellies, although they haven't kept a clean sheet in their last five matches.
Usuthu arrested a worrying six-game winless streak as they beat Cape Town City 1-0 on April 7 to close within two points of the top eight in 12th place.
Sea Robbers head coach Jose Riveiro believes results are starting to go their way because they're scoring goals in the first half, something they struggled to do earlier in the season.
"I think as a group in recent games we finally found [a solution to] one of the obstacles that we faced last season and the start of the season: scoring in the first half," Riveiro said.
"[Against AmaZulu in the Nedbank Cup on Saturday] we were close to going into half-time without scoring goals but we did, and that made the game to be more open.
"If the approach of the opponent is to make a low block, then it's difficult to see the pace like the one that you get for scoring early."
Sekhukhune United will look to stay in touch with their top-two rivals when basement boys Cape Town Spurs arrive at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, April 20.
Babina Noko maintained the four-point gap to the Maroons in fourth spot following the stalemate in Polokwane which saw them remain unbeaten in 2024.
The Urban Warriors are still rooted to the foot of the table after a 1-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on April 9 left them winless in their last five outings.
Meanwhile, SuperSport United will be desperate to get their top-two challenge back on track when they lock horns with Chippa United at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Saturday, April 20.
Matsatsantsa's poor run of form continued with a 1-1 draw against Polokwane City in midweek, which left them still searching for a win this year. They trail Stellenbosch by five points in fifth position, having failed to secure a victory since beating Pirates 3-1 on December 23.
The Chilli Boys' fortunes have improved under Thabo September and Kwanele Kopo, picking up 11 points out of a possible 21 since the duo took over the reins in the new year and recording back-to-back 2-0 wins against Spurs and Kaizer Chiefs most recently.
Elsewhere around the country, Cape Town City (6th) do battle with Polokwane City (11th) at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Kaizer Chiefs (8th) head to the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium for a clash with Richards Bay (15th) and Golden Arrows (9th) host Royal AM (13th) at the Mpumalanga Stadium.
DStv Premiership matchday 24 fixtures:
Saturday, April 20
15h00: Golden Arrows v Royal AM
17h00: Sekhukhune United v Cape Town Spurs
17h30: Orlando Pirates v AmaZulu
20h00: SuperSport United v Chippa United
Sunday, April 21
15h00: Richards Bay v Kaizer Chiefs
15h00: Polokwane City v Cape Town City
17h30: TS Galaxy v Stellenbosch
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