2024/25 Betway Premiership
Matchday 14
17-19 January 2025
The race for a top-eight berth in the Betway Premiership remains tightly contested as the clubs positioned from 5th to 13th are separated by just four points in the standings.
Golden Arrows currently occupy fifth place and they will attempt to put pressure on the two teams above them when TS Galaxy visit the Mpumalanga Stadium on Saturday, January 18.
Abafana Bes’thende picked up their first win in four matches when they beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 on January 12 to close within four points of Rise And Shine (4th).
The Rockets continued their resurgence in the league with a 0-0 draw against Magesi on January 4 which maintained their unbeaten start under Adnan Beganovic and lifted them up to 11th spot, six points clear of the danger zone.
Beganovic has yet to taste defeat in six matches since replacing Sead Ramovic at the helm and he revealed his first task was to instill confidence in his players after a poor start to the season.
“in the beginning, what I wanted to change is [bringing in] some confidence, I want to put back confidence in my players to believe in ourselves and believe in the team and, ultimately, in this beautiful club,” the Bosnian told SABC Sport.
“We have one vision and we need to follow that vision, and everyone in the club needs to push in following that vision.”
Polokwane City will look to reclaim third place when they take on wounded SuperSport United at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Friday, January 17.
Rise And Shine extended their unbeaten run to five games with a 1-1 draw against Sekhukhune United on January 5, but they were pushed down to fourth position after Babina Noko ran out 3-0 victors over Matsatsantsa on January 12.
Gavin Hunt’s side had closed out 2024 on a positive note after a 1-1 stalemate with Stellenbosch on December 28 saw them pick up seven points from the final three outings of the year.
But the loss to the Limpopo outfit left them down in 10th spot, level with AmaZulu (9th) and Stellenbosch (8th) on 16 points but behind them on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs will target a return to winning ways when they welcome Sekhukhune United to the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday, January 19.
Amakhosi (6th) missed out on the chance to close right up on Polokwane after being beaten 1-0 by Arrows on January 12 which was their fifth defeat of the season under Nasreddine Nabi.
Lehlohonolo Seema’s side moved within four points of Orlando Pirates in third place with their impressive victory over SuperSport which extended their unbeaten run to five matches, winning four of those.
Elsewhere, Muhsin Ertugral will be keen to bounce back from his first defeat at the helm of Cape Town City when they lock horns with relegation-threatened Richards Bay at Athlone Stadium on Friday, January 17, while Chippa United (12th) and Marumo Gallants (13th) clash at the Buffalo City Stadium the following day.
The Citizens had recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Chiefs and Pirates in Ertugral’s first two games in charge, but they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Gallants on January 11 to sit one point behind the Glamour Boys (6th) and Arrows (5th) in seventh spot.
The Natal Rich Boyz went one point clear of the bottom two after playing out to a goalless draw with Bahlabane Ba Ntwa on January 4, but they are still very much in the fight for survival as they trail Dan Malesela’s side by five points in 14th place.
Ertugral blamed the loss to Gallants on the fixture schedule, saying it’s not fair on his players that they had to travel to Bloemfontein just three days after hosting the Buccaneers in Cape Town.
“We played Chiefs, we played Pirates, and three days later you need to come up [to Bloemfontein] – this is unusual, these boys are tired,” the Turkish tactician said.
“And I’m not complaining about two games, I’m complaining about [Sunday and] Wednesday against two teams – I don’t see any team in this country playing after each other, in three days, against teams that really have a pedigree.
“It’s not child’s play here, we played a really difficult game, and then you need to come [and do it again] three days later – is there anyone playing like this? Chiefs is not playing, Pirates is not playing –- Hello, where are they?
“So, why must we come here to Bloemfontein also? It’s a little bit of sensitivity on the fixtures, sorry about that – maybe you will say I’m bitter, no, I’m not bitter. We need to protect these boys, they are human.”
Betway Premiership Matchday 14 fixtures:
- Friday, January 17
- 19h30: SuperSport United v Polokwane City
- 19h30: Cape Town City v Richards Bay
- Saturday, January 18
- 15h30: Golden Arrows v TS Galaxy
- 20h00: Chippa United v Marumo Gallants
- Sunday, January 19
- 15h30: Kaizer Chiefs v Sekhukhune United