SuperSport, Polokwane set for midweek battle

by Graeme Jackson

Tuesday Jan 23, 2018. 08:52

SuperSport United and Polokwane City will renew their Absa Premiership rivalry in a midweek clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium on 23 January 2018, kick-off at 19h30 CAT.

SuperSport come into the match having suffered a 2-0 defeat at strugglers AmaZulu on January 20. The Tshwane side has managed just one win in their last 10 league matches, claiming seven points from a possible 30 in the sequence.

Matsatsantsa have claimed 12 points from seven home matches this season. Their last victory as hosts arrived back in late November when they defeated Ajax Cape Town 1-0.

Polokwane played to their seventh draw of the season when they held Orlando Pirates 1-1 in Soweto on January 20. The Limpopo side were just a few minutes away from claiming all three points against the Buccaneers, only to concede a late equaliser.

Rise and Shine have claimed 11 points from eight away matches this season. This clash in Tshwane will be a fourth away game in the space of five outings for City.

In head-to-head stats, SuperSport and Polokwane have met in eight league matches since 2013/14. Matsatsantsa have claimed four wins compared to one for Rise and Shine, while three matches have been drawn. The Tshwane side is unbeaten at home in the rivalry, with two wins and two draws from four turns as hosts.

Last season SuperSport claimed a league ‘double’ over Polokwane, winning 2-1 in Tshwane and 3-2 in the Limpopo province. The teams’ eight league meetings have produced no less than 30 goals.

SuperSport’s line-up from their 2-0 loss to AmaZulu on January 20: Pieterse, Kekana, Egwuekwe, Gould, Bhasera, Furman, Letsholonyane (Smith 46'), Boateng (Mokoena 33'), Modiba, Phala, Nkhatha (Stoffels 80').

Polokwane’s line-up from their 1-1 draw with Pirates on January 20: Chigova, Maponyane, Semenya, Ravhuhali, Tshilo, Seabi, Ramagalela, Manaka, Chungwa (Nsulumba 61’), Maluleka, Musona.