Three TKO battles to look forward to this weekend

Erick Mathoho of Kaizer Chiefs celebrates his teams win with teammate Daniel Akpeyi

Friday Oct 18, 2019. 12:00

AfricanFootball.com identifies three key battles to look forward to in the Telkom Knockout Cup this weekend.

Defending champions Baroka FC kick-off their title defence away to Supersport United in Tshwane while last year’s runners-up, Orland Pirates, play host to newly promoted Stellenbosch FC in Soweto.

The tie of the round, though, takes place in the Mother City with Cape Town City and Kaizer Chiefs set to renew their rivalry.

With that in mind, we take a look at three key player vs player battles to look forward to from this weekend’s three standout fixtures:

Kermit Erasmus vs Erick Mathoho

This duel dates back to Erasmus’ time at Orlando Pirates when he famously bamboozled the towering Amakhosi defender. The duo will renew their rivalry in Cape Town this weekend with Erasmus having rekindled his career at Cape Town City.

With five goals in nine games this season, including one against Chiefs in the league, Mathoho will have his work cut out for him. The Bafana Bafana defender, though, has returned to form himself following a long battle with injury and has brought much needed stability to the Glamour Boys defensive line.

Bradley Grobler vs Elvis Chipezeze

With seven goals and three assists in 10 games this season, Grobler is one of the form players in South Africa’s top division. Having played a starring role in leading Matsatsantsa to MTN8 glory, he will now shift his focus to spearheading the Tshwane club past the defending TKO champions this weekend.

Standing in Grobler’s way is one of Bakgaga’s star players from their TKO triumph late last year. Chipezeze was outstanding in leading the Limpopo club to victory, but will have the hard task of stopping a confident SuperSport side this weekend.

Tshegofatso Mabasa vs Robyn Johannes

With four goals in his last three games for the Buccaneers, Mabasa is the form striker leading into this weekend’s round of TKO fixtures. In Johannes, though, he will come up against an experienced defender who has quickly established himself as a key player to the Stellenbosch cause.

Pressure will undoubtedly be on Mabasa and his Pirates teammates as they aim to finally break their trophy drought, but first they have to pass the Stellies test.

Full List of Fixtures:

Highlands Park vs Black Leopards

Maritzburg United vs Bidvest Wits

Cape Town City vs Kaizer Chiefs

Mamelodi Sundowns vs AmaZulu

Supersport United vs Baroka FC

Orlando Pirates vs Stellenbosch FC

Golden Arrows vs Polokwane City

Chippa United vs Bloemfontein Celtic