2023/24 DStv Premiership
Matchday 25
26-28 April 2024
With Stellenbosch, Orlando Pirates and Sekhukhune United having all won on matchday 24, the battle to finish runners-up in the
DStv Premiership remains tightly contested.
Stellenbosch will look to maintain their three-point cushion to third place when they welcome Polokwane City to the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday, April 27 in the late kick-off.
The Maroons beat a resurgent TS Galaxy 2-1 in Mbombela on April 21 to extend their unbeaten run in the league to 16 matches, while Rise And Shine (11th) are without a win in their last four outings after drawing 2-2 with Cape Town City in Polokwane earlier that same day.
Stellies head coach Steve Barker hailed the character of his players to come away from the Mbombela Stadium with all three points given the Rockets' recent run of good form.
"We fought fire with fire tonight, dug deep and showed tremendous character," Barker said. "It was a massive performance at the end of a week in which we played two top-six clubs away and collected four points.
"I told my boys at half-time to up the intensity and they did. Given the strength of Galaxy at home I would have settled for a point, so to get all three is fantastic."
Orlando Pirates will be targeting three successive league wins for only the second time this season when they head to the Harry Gwala Stadium for a clash with Royal AM on Sunday, April 28.
The Buccaneers continued their top-two challenge with a 1-0 victory over AmaZulu in Soweto on April 20 to stay within three points of Stellenbosch as Thwihli Thwahla shared the local spoils with Golden Arrows following a 1-1 draw in Hammarsdale which left them nine points above the danger zone in 12th position.
Kaizer Chiefs host SuperSport United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, April 27, with both teams desperately looking to get back on the winning trail.
Amakhosi suffered their third defeat on the spin after going down 1-0 to Richards Bay in Durban on April 21 and they are now winless in their last five matches, having dropped to 10th in the standings, two points outside the top eight. Matsatsantsa (5th) are still searching for their first win in 2024 after a 2-0 loss to Chippa United in Pretoria on April 20 extended their winless streak to nine games.
Chiefs interim coach Cavin Johnson insists the buck stops with him, although he acknowledges something has to change to get the players believing in themselves again after they failed to capitalise on their dominance against the Natal Rich Boyz.
"I don't think it's the players, it's all of us. We have to take responsibility, I have to do something else, we have to do something else to make sure that they are in the right space, in the right mind," Johnson said.
"I think this is the third team we are playing that the goalkeeper is Man of the Match, so we have to look at that as well and tell ourselves this is not possible for the goalkeeper to be Man of the Match. We've got to pull up our socks, we've got the start again and it starts with me and the players will follow."
TS Galaxy could ramp up the pressure on SuperSport when they lock horns with Moroka Swallows at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Friday, April 26.
The Rockets saw a three-match winning sequence come to an end against Stellies, but they remain just one point behind Gavin Hunt's side in sixth spot with two games in hand. The Dube Birds (14th) will be keen to build on their 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns last time out as they target a first win in four games in a bid to avoid getting sucked into the relegation quagmire, with six points separating them and Richard Bay.
Elsewhere around the country, Cape Town Spurs (16th) and Richards Bay (15th) go head-to-head in a bottom-of-the-table clash at Athlone Stadium, AmaZulu (13th) take on Chippa United (8th) at the Moses Mabhida Stadium and Cape Town City (7th) face Golden Arrows (9th) at the Cape Town Stadium.
DStv Premiership matchday 25 fixtures:
Friday, April 26
19h30: Cape Town Spurs v Richards Bay
19h30: TS Galaxy v Moroka Swallows
Saturday, April 27
15h00: AmaZulu v Chippa United
17h00: Kaizer Chiefs v SuperSport United
20h00: Stellenbosch v Polokwane City
Sunday, April 28
15h00: Royal AM v Orlando Pirates
17h30: Cape Town City v Golden Arrows
Bet on local football
Go mobile with the Betway sports betting app and you can bet on the DSTV Premiership and many other soccer leagues locally and internationally.
Kick off your sports betting journey with our exciting Sports Welcome Offer where you’ll get up to R1,000 as a Free Bet when you make your first deposit.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow Betway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Start playing on the go and download the Betway