2024/25 Betway Premiership
Matchday 6
29-30 October 2024
The Betway Premiership fixtures are coming thick and fast as Orlando Pirates look to stay in pole position, while Mamelodi Sundowns have a score to settle with Cape Town City.
Orlando Pirates will attempt to keep their 100 per cent record intact when they take on TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday, October 29.
The Buccaneers made it five wins from five in the new season after beating embattled AmaZulu 2-1 on October 25 to open up a three-point lead at the top of the table.
The Rockets (15th) put their first point on the board with a 1-1 draw against Marumo Gallants on October 26 which halted a run of three successive defeats at the start of the campaign.
Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has expressed optimism about his squad that something big can be achieved this term as the players are showing a more mature side to their mental approach.
“I think the team is getting mature, we show and the players show, this season they are really enjoying playing and that makes everything much easier,” Riveiro said.
“They are always talking about what’s coming or what we did the day before. It makes you feel that they are getting more mature as a group and they know what it takes to achieve what we want to achieve in the end, which is always the next… that makes me feel confident and very optimistic about this group.”
Mamelodi Sundowns will be determined to get back on the winning trail when they lock horns with Cape Town City at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday, October 30.
Bafana ba Style dropped points for the first time in 2024-25 after being beaten 1-0 by Polokwane City on October 27 and the defending champions will be keen to avenge the 1-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of City on the final day of last season, which denied them the feat of becoming the first team to go through a entire league campaign without losing.
The Citizens find themselves two points outside the top eight in 12th position after being held to a 0-0 draw by Magesi at Athlone Stadium on October 27, although they are unbeaten in their last two games.
Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi was far from happy with their performance against Rise And Shine, having failed to even hit the target once which is giving him cause for concern.
“I was not impressed with the speed of play. I was not impressed with our chance creation and our decision-making in the final third. It is an area that we must work hard on to try to get ourselves back because we thought we had improved tremendously in that regard,” Mngqithi said.
“And this is the team that played against [Golden] Arrows just the other day and scored five goals and if today they struggle even to have a shot on target, then we should be worried.”
Kaizer Chiefs will be way of the potential threat posed by Magesi in their clash at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday.
Amakhosi suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time under Nasreddine Nabi when they went down 1-0 to SuperSport United on October 26, having won their opening two games of the season.
The Glamour Boys would do well not to underestimate the top-flight newcomers, who dumped Soweto arch-rivals Pirates out of the Carling Knockout on October 19 and are unbeaten in four matches across all competitions.
Dikwena tsa Meetse showed their battling qualities as they held firm in the pouring rain at Athlone Stadium to claim a goalless draw against City on October 27. Clinton Larsen’s side have now collected five points from their last three outings to pull four clear of the relegation zone in 13th spot.
Meanwhile, AmaZulu will be desperate to get their campaign up and running when they welcome improving Chippa United to the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday.
Usuthu changed coaches earlier this month as Pablo Franco paid the price for losing his opening three matches of the season, but Arthur Zwane and Vusumuzi Vilakazi began their tenure with a 2-1 reverse to Pirates, leaving the team rooted to the foot of the table without a single point.
The Chilli Boys have lost just two of their six encounters this term and a 2-0 victory over Golden Arrows in October 26 made it three wins in their last five games to lift Kwanele Kopo’s side up to third place on 10 points. two behind the Brazilians.
Betway Premiership matchday 6 fixtures:
- Tuesday, October 29
- 19h30: AmaZulu v Chippa United
- 19h30: Sekhukhune United v Richards Bay
- 19h30: TS Galaxy v Orlando Pirates
- Wednesday, October 30
- 19h30: Golden Arrows v SuperSport United
- 19h30: Magesi v Kaizer Chiefsy
- 19h30: Mamelodi Sundowns v Cape Town City
- Royal AM v Polokwane City