2022/23 DStv Premiership
Matchday 28
3 May 2023
The battle for a top-two finish looks set to go down to the wire as Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United lead the race for
CAF Champions League football with three matches left to play.
Wednesday's action gets underway at the Orlando Stadium, where Orlando Pirates will attempt to maintain their hold on second place when they play host to Royal AM.
The Buccaneers moved back above SuperSport United with a 2-1 victory over TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday, which extended their winning streak in the league to six matches.
Jose Riveiro's side are two points clear of Matsatsantsa and will be targeting their third win over Thwihli Thwahla this season after triumphing 1-0 in the reverse fixture and 2-1 in the MTN 8.
Riveiro admits their intensity dropped towards the end of the game against the Rockets but hailed his players for keeping their shape at the back to collect another three precious points.
"The last 20 minutes we couldn't control the game the way we want, we were very exposed. We did a fantastic job in the defensive phase but too close to the goal," the Spaniard said in his post-match interview.
"That makes to feel the game a bit uncertain but overall I think it's a very good performance. We're playing a lot of games in a very high intensity and it's normal that sometimes during the 90 minutes we play a bit [like] that.
"But we appreciate a lot the victory, the sixth in a row, so all the credit to the players, the staff. We're working a lot and it's nice to continue collecting."
Royal AM saw a two-match unbeaten run come to an end after they squandered an early lead to lose 2-1 to Cape Town City at the Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday.
John Maduka's side only just managed to hold onto eighth place in the standings as they are tied with Golden Arrows (9th) on 33 points but stay above them on goals scored.
Meanwhile, Marumo Gallants will look to continue their resurgence under Dylan Kerr when they face rock-bottom Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa are undefeated in seven games since Kerr took over the reins from Dan Malesela, with a 0-0 draw against SuperSport on April 18 taking them two points clear of the relegation zone in 14th spot.
The Team of Choice remain rooted to the foot of the table after going down 1-0 to Swallows at the Dobsonville Stadium last Thursday, which left them without a win in their last three outings and three points adrift of safety.
However, Maritzburg head coach Fadlu Davids has not given up hope of avoiding the drop and is calling on his players to stand up and be counted against Gallants to stay in the fight for survival.
"We know that three points will take us to the same number of points as Gallants with two matches to go but our goal difference with them will not be good enough," Davids said.
"We are at home, we need our supporters, we are not down and out and we are going to fight in our next game. We are going for three points, we are going to be positive.
"That's what the players must play for. We know if we collect the six points in our next two matches, we stand a big chance of making it. The three points against Marumo will set us up for the last two matches and that is what we must focus on."
Sekhukhune United will be determined to bounce back from last weekend's disappointment when they welcome TS Galaxy to the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Babina Noko put themselves in the frame for a top-eight finish after embarking on a four-game unbeaten run but a 2-0 loss to AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday saw them drop to seventh place, just two points clear of Royal AM (8th) and Golden Arrows (9th).
The Rockets are desperate to arrest a four-match winless streak which has damaged their push for MTN 8 football, with the loss at home to Pirates leaving them two points outside the top eight in 12th position.
Elsewhere, AmaZulu will be looking to build on their first win in five outings when they lock horns with Mamelodi Sundowns at the Princess Magogo Stadium in one of the three evening kick-offs.
Usuthu registered only their seventh victory of the season when they beat Sekhukhune over weekend to close within one point of the top eight in 10th spot.
The Brazilians suffered a dip in form after qualifying for the CAF Champions League quarter-finals, although they halted a three-game winless sequence in the top flight with a 1-0 success against Richards Bay at Loftus Versfeld last Tuesday.
Cape Town City will attempt to cement their place in the top half of the table when Golden Arrows arrive at the DHL Stadium.
The Citizens made a late push for a top-three finish after winning three on the spin towards the end of February but a poor run of results in March and April saw the gap to the CAF places widen to nine points.
City arrested a four-match winless run when they beat Royal AM at the weekend to maintain the four-point gap to Kaizer Chiefs (4th) in fifth position.
Abafana Bes'thende will be smarting after suffering a heavy 5-2 defeat at the hands of Stellenbosch on Saturday, which brought an end to a promising four-game unbeaten run.
Then the two teams with the worst current form in the league go head to head when Richards Bay take on Chippa United at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium.
The Natal Rich Boyz were the surprise package in the top flight before the turn of the year after losing just twice to be the closest challengers to Sundowns in the standings.
However, their form has tailed off alarmingly in 2023 and a 1-0 defeat to Masandawana last Tuesday extended their winless streak to 11 matches, leaving the National First Division champions one point outside the top eight in 11th spot.
The Chilli Boys found themselves in the top half of the table at the start of the year but they haven't won any of their last eight matches and a 1-0 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs last Thursday plunged them deeper into trouble as they sit two points adrift of safety in 15th position.
DStv Premiership matchday 28 fixtures:
Wednesday, May 3
15h00: Orlando Pirates v Royal AM
17h15: Maritzburg United v Marumo Gallants
17h15: Sekhukhune United v TS Galaxy
19h30: AmaZulu v Mamelodi Sundowns
19h30: Cape Town City v Golden Arrows
19h30: Richards Bay v Chippa United
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