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2022/23 DStv Premiership
Matchday 29
13 May 2023
Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United remain locked in a battle for CAF Champions League football heading into the penultimate round of the
DStv Premiership on Saturday, May 13.
Pirates are in the driver's seat as they prepare to face Sekhukhune United at the Orlando Stadium in one of seven simultaneous kick-offs on matchday 29.
The Buccaneers (2nd) maintained the two-point gap to SuperSport (3rd) after being held to a 1-1 draw by Royal AM at the same venue on May 3, which halted a six-match winning streak.
Jose Riveiro has made quite the impact at Mayfair following his surprise appointment as head coach in the off-season, winning the MTN 8 title and guiding the Sea Robbers to the Nedbank Cup final.
The Spaniard had faith in his ability to succeed at Bucs, although he's not about to take credit for their fine season.
"I am a very optimistic guy, very positive even though I don't look like that sometimes. I promise you, I always think that everything is going to be alright [in the end]," Riveiro said.
"In sports, you have to go with that mentality. In my opinion, wherever you are you have to approach your life and profession with that mentality and make sure that you can convince the people around you that everything is possible. Otherwise, what kind of a leader am I?
"I have fantastic material and I have a lot of quality. That's why I cannot make miracles; it's not about me, it's about the whole group. It's the coaching staff, it's the players."
Babina Noko are fighting for a top-eight finish and they're two points clear of the chasing pack in seventh place after playing out to a 1-1 draw with TS Galaxy at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on May 3, having suffered a 2-2 defeat at AmaZulu four days earlier.
Meanwhile, SuperSport United will attempt to put pressure on Pirates when they host Kaizer Chiefs at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
Matsatsantsa missed out on the opportunity to reclaim second spot when they drew 0-0 with Stellenbosch at the TUT Stadium on May 2, although it extended their unbeaten run to five matches, just two of which ended in wins.
Gavin Hunt expressed his disappointment with the decision to move the encounter to Rustenburg in a bid to accommodate Amakhosi's massive supporter base, with the Pretoria giants already forced to relocate to the TUT Stadium after the PSL ruled that the Lucas Moripe Stadium was no longer fit to host top-flight games.
"It's very disappointing because we had a lot of success at Lucas Moripe and now we got kicked out there. Okay, we got seven out of nine points at another venue which is fantastic," Hunt said.
"But it is not the same... I don't even have a chair to sit on at the new stadium, so it is something that we need to do our best to try and get that stadium back because we should be playing Chiefs at Lucas Moripe on Saturday. That's my opinion, but it is what it is.
"It is very destabilising. It is okay if you are a big club like Chiefs and Pirates or Sundowns because you take people with you because you are a home team anywhere and wherever you go. But for a team like us, we need to be comfortable in our environment which suits us, you know. Now we move and we have been moving. It is not easy."
Chiefs all but blew their chances of qualifying for the CAF Champions League after being beaten 2-1 by Swallows at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on May 1 to leave them six points adrift of their arch-rivals from Soweto in fourth position.
CAF Confederation Cup football is still on the table but Arthur Zwane's side need to pick up maximum points from their final two matches and hope that SuperSport slip up either this weekend or next.
The fight for survival is equally intense as Chippa United look to escape the relegation zone when they lock horns with TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium.
The Chilli Boys staged an impressive comeback to beat Richards Bay 3-2 at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium on May 3, which arrested an eight-match winless sequence and gave then renewed hope of staying up.
Chippa (15th) went level on 30 points with Marumo Gallants (14th), who suffered a 2-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns on May 6. The Rockets looked on course for MTN 8 qualification a couple of months back but a 1-1 draw with Sekhukhune most recently left them without a win in their last five outings and two points shy of the top eight in 12th spot.
Rock-bottom Maritzburg United will be desperate for victory when they take on Stellenbosch at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
The Team of Choice are three points adrift of safety but they have the worst goal difference in the league and need maximum points from their final two fixtures to stand a chance of avoiding the drop. A 2-2 draw with Gallants on May 2 stretched their winless run to four games.
The Maroons will refocus their efforts on the league after being knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by Sekhukhune in the semi-finals last weekend. Steve Barker's side won't be able to match their achievements of last season when they finished fourth, although they can still challenge Cape Town City for fifth position as the two teams are separated by just two points.
Richards Bay will attempt to save their faltering season when they go up against Cape Town City at Athlone Stadium.
The Natal Rich Boyz are in danger of making a swift return to the Motsepe Foundation Championship after the disappointing defeat to Chippa extended their winless streak to a woeful 13 matches. Vasili Manousakis' side sit just three points clear of the drop zone in 13th place and could find themselves having to navigate the promotion/relegation playoffs in a bid to retain their top-flight status.
The Citizens looked on track to challenge for the CAF Confederation Cup spot after winning three matches on the spin in March but they're recorded just one victory in their six games to fall eight points behind SuperSport in fifth place, while Chiefs are five points better off.
Elsewhere, Golden Arrows (9th) and AmaZulu (11th) will continue their respective challenge for a top-eight finish at the Princess Magogo Stadium, while Swallows (10th) have their sights set on breaking into the top half of the table when they meet Royal AM (8th) at the Chatsworth Stadium.
DStv Premiership matchday 29 fixtures:
Saturday, May 13
15h00: Cape Town City v Richards Bay
15h00: Golden Arrows v AmaZulu
15h00: Maritzburg United v Stellenbosch
15h00: Orlando Pirates v Sekhukhune United
15h00: Royal AM v Swallows
15h00: SuperSport United v Kaizer Chiefs
15h00: TS Galaxy v Chippa United
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