SuperSport look to close the gap; Can Hunt haunt Chiefs?

Chippa United coach Gavin Hunt

Friday Oct 15, 2021. 10:00

South Africa’s DStv Premiership resumes after the international break with four matches this weekend, as second-placed SuperSport United look to close the gap to leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Sundowns, along with AmaZulu, Orlando Pirates and Marumo Gallants, will be involved in CAF club competition matches this weekend, hence the half-programme of fixtures on Saturday and Sunday, with the balance to be made up next midweek.

SuperSport, who are one of just three unbeaten teams (the others being ‘Downs and Stellenbosch FC), can close to within a point of Sundowns at the head of the table if they can beat Baroka FC at home on Saturday in an early-evening clash.

“We owe it to the league to make sure that it is competitive so we are always going to try and win it because we have won it before and we believe that we are assembling a team that can achieve that and be dominant in South African football. This is an obligation to all the teams in the league to try and make it competitive,” said SuperSport coach Kaitano Tembo.

Another Saturday evening game sees Gavin Hunt with a chance to exact revenge on his former club Kaizer Chiefs.

Hunt, who was axed by the Amakhosi after a struggling campaign back in May of this year, finds himself in charge of Chippa United and has the chance to rub salt into the wound of the Soweto giants when the teams meet at FNB Stadium.

Both Chiefs and Chippa have won just once in their opening six league matches and a victory in this clash would go a long way in propelling the winners away from the lower reaches of the log – and ease the pressure on either Hunt or his successor at the Amakhosi, Stuart Baxter.

“I don’t have to change anything. We have to keep on playing and working hard. We have to keep going,” said Hunt.

“We have to work on our game intelligence and I think game intelligence is the most important thing. We need to work on it daily. We have to pick up the players, and many of them need that.”

The other weekend fixtures see Sekhukhune United chasing a first home win when they welcome Cape Town City toe Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday, while Sunday sees Stellenbosch looking to continue their fine form with a match away to Swallows FC in Soweto.

DStv Premiership, weekend fixtures

Times CAT

Saturday 16 October

15:30: Sekhukhune United v Cape Town City

17:00: SuperSport United v Baroka FC

17:30: Kaizer Chiefs v Chippa United

Sunday 17 October

15:30: Swallows FC v Stellenbosch FC