Rollers, Masitaoka second date
... as Popa seeks revenge
Plucky Molepolole outfit and Botswana Football League ( BFL) rookies, Masitaoka are slowly curving a reputation for themselves as giant slayers, following an emphatic 2- 1 win over multiple league champions, Township Rollers in the recent Orange FA Cup semi- final.
The win saw Majatlhaga sending shockwaves throughout the domestic footballing landscape while leaving Rollers supporters in shock and awe. Fast forward to less than three weeks later and both Masitaoka and Rollers find themselves in familiar territory once again. The two rivals face one another in a BFL encounter at the national Stadium this Saturday and Rollers will want nothing but drawing blood and claiming their vengeance against their unexpected conquerors.
The second act in the Popa VS Majatlhaga showdown takes place at the lush national stadium turf where nothing short of an all- out war is expected. On match day, this Saturday, Rollers will be expected to put emphasis on attack and try to unsettle the Masitaoka, the same way Gaborone United did this past weekend. Against Majatlhaga, a potent GU attack mounted pressure on the tenacious rookies and never took their foot off the pedal, leading to the 3- 0 score line and a P700 000 payday.
Nevertheless, Rollers and Masitaoka will not be playing in a final with a six- figure prize money but pride and bragging rights will be on the line. Nevertheless, there is a lot at stake. Rollers owe their supporters a win, following recent mixed fortunes while incoming Popa head coach, Romain Folz will want to hit the ground running with a convincing win.
The previous upset at the hands of Majatlhaga cost his predecessor, Hassan Oktay his job afterall.
At his disposal, Folz has the necessary tools to do the job, as the Popa strike force includes prolific attackers like Edwin Moalosi, Lemponye
Tshireletso and the dangerous, Aron Marc Dion. Furthermore, Rollers boasts of another potent finisher in Segolame Boy who is expected to be on the hunt for a goal while a marauding Tlhalefo Molebatsi will also be on the prowl. It will be exciting to see how Foltz’s football philosophy unravels during the game. Meanwhile, It will as equally intriguing to see what tricks Masitaoka coach, Nelson Olebile has up his sleeve. This time Majatlhaga will be seeking only three points and no lucrative prize money. The ambitious rookies will have to prove that their win against the biggest football brand in the country was not a fluke. Perhaps Olebile might not want to fix his team if it was never broken by letting his prolific striker, Patrick Kaunda loose on the Rollers defense. Kaunda was the architect of the 2- 1 upset over Popa but this time around he is likely to be a marked man. Other players to watch out for in Olebile’s arsenal include Fortunate Thulare, Kobamelo Kebaikanye and Ototeng Dintwa. Meanwhile, in other fixtures, Extension Gunners host Sua Flamingoes at the Lobatse Sports complex on Saturday while MR Highlander takes on Notwane at Serowe sports complex. At Otse Stadium, Jwaneng Galaxy will take on Mogoditshane fighters, still on Saturday.