MagRush writer | September 01, 2019
Not often do Pretoria rivals come face-to-face to do battle for the city’s bragging rights in a tournament at any given time under PSL (Premier Soccer League) banner. When it happens, it is always special.
Derbies are inherently special!
SuperSport United face-off archrivals Mamelodi Sundowns at Lucas Moripe stadium at 3:00 p.m. today – Sunday, September 01.
The match will be played over two legs. Today marks the start of the first-leg of the MTN Top 8 (MTN8) Cup semifinal.
This is the only domestic competition that is based on a two-legged semifinal format in the professional league in South Africa. The approach is an attempt to level the playing field with home and away games affording each club a chance to play in front of its home supporters. (Of course, MTN wants more exposure than anything.)
But when SuperSport and Sundowns square up, the home-ground line is blurred. Typical of derbies. Both clubs are from Pretoria [City of Tshwane] in a geographic sense. Therefore, derbies such as this one throws away the principle of a home-and-away appeal out of the window.
In-form club
On the one hand, Sundowns have been getting good results in both the PSL and CAF (Confederation of African Football) Champions League fronts.
Even so, domestic tournaments are totally different from leagues setup. One slip-up, the club gets clobbered out. Eliminated. In the MTN8 Cup, there is a top up: it offers a second bite at the cherry.
On the other hand, SuperSport too have been fairly pleasing so far in the season. Their only loss came in their opening game of the league against, well, Sundowns. Going down two nil (2-0) without a reply. It was the first game of the PSL.
For SuperSport United, prime time for sweet revenge could not have landed on a silver platter earlier than this. But, will Sundowns permit a slap on the cheek meekly?
Mamelodi Sundowns are without a loss this season and head-to-head favours them.
Meanwhile, worth noting is that Kaitano Tembo, SuperSport United coach, has found a balance in the team and players are responding (of late) to his tactical doctrine.
His counterpart, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane, has already made a song and dance about the timing of the MTN Top 8 cup schedule. Is there much to read between the lines? His outcry, nonetheless, is vastly a result of the concurrence of the heavy domestic and continental fixtures. At face value, it screams congestion!
Captained by Dean Furman, SuperSport’s Bradley Grobler is an utterly fierce striker to keep at bay. The supply comes from skillful and youthful Tebogo Mokeona and Sipho Mbule. Their goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, must be vigilant of the long-range (Sundowns captain) Hlompho Kekana’s thunderous shots.
In concert in the middlefield, Kekana sings alongside the deft Themba “Mshishi” Zwane and nimble Gastón Sirino who usually pull strings to link up with out-and-out speedy Lebogang Maboe upfront (provided all these stars start). Better still, Sundowns have enough depth to replace any of these players with equal, even menacing measure at any time.
There they are: both teams boost supremely talented players.
Road to the MTN8 semi-final
On their path, SuperSport eviscerated Bidvest Wits (3-0) to progress to the semi-final. Whereas Sundowns blew Bloemfontein Celtic away by a 3-1 score margin. Although one (MTN8) game is and has been played to reach the last four, both are high-scoring teams in this tournament. For the optics, the Tshwane derby is pretty poised.
Without a doubt, the clash for the MTN8 spoils between the Pretorians come at a period where both clubs – Sundowns and SuperSport – are equally on a high. To this end, football fans will be the winners.
Though the thought of the second leg is a bit of a dampener, this game might as well be wrapped up this afternoon, or else, it will go down to the wire on their last encounter. No matter what happens this afternoon, this game will definitely set the tone for the 18th of September 2019 penultimate match-up.
For yesterday’s [Saturday, August 31] semi-final produced a dull (0-0) draw between Polokwane City and Highlands Park.