Mosimane must lift Downs
Caretaker managers have tough weekend battles to earn vital league points.
Mamelodi Sundowns remain the only unbeaten club in the Premier Soccer League as they go into the weekend’s clashes but after elimination from the MTN8 on Wednesday are looking decidedly vulnerable.
Sundowns’ relentless schedule looks to have caught up with them as they were flat and without many ideas in the second leg of their semifinal tie, which SuperSport United won 2-0 for a 3-1 aggregate triumph.
It will be of much concern to coach Pitso Mosimane, who has to lift his squad up and go again tomorrow with the fixtures coming thick and fast.
Their opponents are Maritzburg, still seeking their first win of the season as they look set to resume the exhausting battle they had against relegation last season.
They barely escaped, needing to hang on to their top flight status in the postseason playoffs, and have since lost more key players like Fortune Makaringe and Siphesihle Ndlovu. Consistently selling their top talent has landed Maritzburg in this tough spot.
But they have a wiley coach in Eric Tinkler, who will have a plan to take on Mosimane and Sundowns and could engineer an upset.
SuperSport will be tired after their midweek exertions and will not be relishing playing away at Polokwane City tomorrow – a game where their focus will likely be lacking
That is also true of their MTN8 final opponents, Highlands Park, who are in Polokwane on Sunday to face Baroka FC.
The pick of the weekend’s clashes sees Bidvest Wits hosting Orlando Pirates in a match they have been forced to switch to Durban because of concerns over the safety of the Milpark Stadium.
Pirates finally got a first win since caretaker coach Rhulani Mokoena took over when they beat Chippa United last weekend.
The 2-0 home victory precipitated the dismissal of Chippa boss Clinton Larsen on Monday -- a sacking quickly followed by Calvin Johnson losing his job at AmaZulu and Lionel Soccoia at Black Leopards.
That means there will be caretakers in charge when Leopards play at Stellenbosch FC and Chippa host Bloemfontein Celtic tomorrow – hardly an ideal situation for clubs seeking much needed points. To take a bet, go to www.bettingworld.co.za or www.tabonline.co.za or www.soccer6.co.za