Stellies seek strike against stagnant Sundowns

Stellenbosch will look to claim their second Betway Premiership victory of the season as they host Mamelodi Sundowns at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.

CURRENT FORM

Stellenbosch claimed their first victory of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership campaign on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Marumo Gallants at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.

The much welcomed three points moved The Maroon from the relegation zone to 11th place on the table. They have now recorded one win, one draw and two losses from their four league games.

Stellies also secured their place in a second consecutive MTN8 final, beating Sekhukhune United 3-1 on aggregate. They struck first in a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their clash at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday.

Despite an uncharacteristic start to the 2025/26 Betway Premiership, Mamelodi Sundowns remain unbeaten in the league after a goalless draw against Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Masandawana sit third on the standings, having registered two wins and two draws in the league.

Their MTN8 campaign came to an end at the hands of Orlando Pirates after penalties in the second leg. The Brazilians were 1-0 ahead in both legs before Kamogelo Sebelebele came to Pirates’ rescue, equalising in both games which ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

TEAM NEWS

The Brazilians may be without defensive stalwart Grant Kekana for a second successive game. The 32-year-old is still nursing an injury he picked up against Orlando Pirates last Saturday and was not named in the Bafana Bafana squad for the September Fifa Club World Cup qualifiers.

WHAT WAS SAID

Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker knows his side will need a big effort if they are to keep their momentum rolling.

"It was an important win for us, we needed to win tonight and credit must go to the players for just showing the commitment that they always show," said Barker after his side’s win over Gallants.

"And now having an extra day of recovery because Sundowns play [on Wednesday] and have to travel, we have to put in one big effort on Saturday and we have a bit of a Fifa break so we can give the players 3-4 days off to just regenerate after this hectic period."

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso hit back at criticism following his team’s draw with Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday.

“We drew twice with Orlando [Pirates] and Kaizer Chiefs, who were top of the table,” Cardoso stated.

“What do you expect, that in these kinds of games we’ll just arrive here and score five goals? Respect the opponent. You’re respecting me, but not them. You’re making them look worse than they are. These are very big teams.”

“But it's not easy for a team to have the schedule that we have. It's not easy. I would like to see any other team deal with the schedule that we are facing, and what results they will face. But we are strong. We are very strong.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stellenbosch - Langelihle Phili: Recently selected to represent South Africa at the U20 Fifa World Cup in Chile this September, Langelihle Phili has bagged three goals in four matches for Stellies across all competitions this season. His pace and finishing ability could spell trouble for The Brazilians on Saturday.

Mamelodi Sundowns - Iqraam Rayners: Iqraam Rayners was named by Hugo Broos in the squad for Bafana Bafana’s upcoming Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria. The striker has started the season with four goals in six matches across all competitions and will be looking to add to his tally at the weekend.

HEAD-TO-HEAD (league results since 2019/20)

Stellenbosch wins: 1

Mamelodi Sundowns wins: 9

Draws: 2