Midlands face uphill battle, City & Hungry Lions clash

Midlands Wanderers will face one of their toughest challenges in the Motsepe Foundation Championship this weekend, as they take on log leaders Kruger United on Saturday, while Cape Town City and Highbury United square off in a tense promotion challenge.

To begin with, Midlands Wanderers currently occupy 14th position on the Motsepe Foundation Championship table with 25 points, just four off from the drop zone.

Now though, Midlands Wanderers will face Kruger United on Saturday, with the latter vying for a place in the Betway Premiership next season.

While Midlands Wanderers recorded a 3-3 draw with Casric Stars last time out, Kruger moved to the top of the pile following a 2-1 away win against Highbury on 12 April.

While Midlands' rocky season was summed up by recording two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five matches, Kruger notched back-to-back wins in the league, taking them three points ahead of second-placed Cape Town City.

The Mother City outfit will face Hungry Lions on Saturday in a match that could define a gruelling challenge for a place in the promotion spots.

As it stands, City are three points away from the top after taking home two wins on the bounce and accumulating 43 points overall.

Meanwhile, third-placed Hungry Lions climbed up the table following their 3-1 win against Venda Football Academy last Saturday as they share the same number of points as their upcoming opponents.

At the low end of the log, last-placed Baroka are scheduled to take on Lerumo Lions on Sunday as they look to end their four-match losing streak.

Baroka will go into their next encounter on 18 points, seven points away from safety, after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Leicesterford City in their most recent tie.

In another top-versus-bottom clash this weekend, Black Leopards will take on Casric Stars on Friday with Lidoda Duvha occupying 15th position, four points away from the safe zone.

Casric Stars on the other hand, are in fifth place with 40 points from 24 games, three points adrift from the Relegation Play-off position.

However, Casric will hope to overcome their recent run of two consecutive draws, results that greatly halted their progress at the top end of the standings.

FIXTURES

Friday, 17 April

3pm: Casric Stars v Black Leopards

3pm: University of Pretoria v Gomora United

Saturday, 18 April

3pm: Venda Football Academy v The Bees

3pm: Cape Town City v Hungry Lions

3pm: Highbury v Leicesterford City

15:00: Milford v Upington City

15:00: Kruger United v Midlands Wanderers

Sunday, 19 April

15:00: Lerumo Lions v Baroka