Sunday | March 16, 2025
The battle for the 2024/2025 Betway Premiership League title comes to a boiling point this afternoon at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg between the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club and Orlando Pirate FC.
This is their second meeting in just over a month and will kick off at 15h30 Sunday, Mar. 16, 2025.
Pirates will march on to the field fully mindful of the first round 4-1 capitulation suffered at the same Sundowns hands in their away fixture.
Today they are the hosts and will likely go all out to guard against being annihilated for the second time in the same league campaign.
Trailing the Sundowns by 18 points at this stage with 12 games to the end of the season, the Buccaneers [Pirates] have it all to do. It is possible and within the team’s hands to challenge for the title, said Jose Riveiro, Orlando Pirates head coach, on Thursday during the Betway Premiership media briefing in Johannesburg.
Sundowns still lead the Betway Premiership with 58 points from 22 games on the board. Meanwhile Pirates have posted 40 points on the table from their 18 league matches and lie second on the log.
The Buccaneers have four games in hand to reduce the widening gap at the top. Grabbing wins from them will go a long way to slow down the runaway defending champions. But they need to win this afternoon’s clash against the Brazilians [Sundowns] to make the title race more interesting.
For the Brazilians, today’s fixture is a familiar one and will seek to repeat that memorable victory secured at home five weeks ago. For them, this big clash is more about consolidating their lead at the pinnacle of the league table. Even though it has been challenging to keep the players focused on every draw, responded Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso, the team needs to retain the same commitment and momentum of winning.
Thus, a victory for Sundowns will certainly guarantee their stranglehold on this elite honours. On the contrary, a win for Pirates will give them a glimmer of hope to chase with a tinge of belief, no matter how unrealistic it may seem at this juncture.
Sundowns have lost only two matches this season. Therefore, they rarely drop maximum points and Pirates are very much alive to this fact. Cardoso said on Thursday that he will approach this match with the same energy and determination.
Although a draw is a likely outcome, it will not do justice to Pirate’s course. For their part, the Buccaneers have lost four games, double the amount of their opponents today. On that score, Riveiro intimated that the team is focusing on this game to collect three points and finish the season in a “good space” (position) to boost the morale in the Pirates stable.
It is well-known that both teams are solid on paper. For this reason, this encounter sets itself up as one of the momentous humdinger in domestic football.
Sunday, Mar. 16 Betway Premiership Fixtures:
Richards Bay FC vs Kaizer Chiefs FC at King Zwelithini Stadium (Umlazi, Durban) – 15h30
Sekhukhune United FC vs Stellenbosch FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium (Polokwane)- 17h45
Saturday, Mar. 15 Betway Premiership Results:
Magesi FC 1-0 Golden Arrows FC
Cape Town City FC 0-1 Marumo Gallants
Chippa United FC 2.-0 Polokwane City FC
Friday, Mar. 14 Betway Premiership Results:
AmaZulu FC 1-2 TS Galaxy FC
Royal AM FC vs SuperSport United FC – Postponed