Arrows have Top 8 spot in their sights
THE Top 8 situation has all but taken shape.
It is only ninth-placed Golden Arrows who still have a chance of breaking into the top eight equation should they win their final league game of the season against AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban next Saturday.
With 33 points to their name, 10th-placed Marumo Gallants have no chance finishing in the Top 8 as a win in their final game of the season against Sekhukhune United will leave them one point short of eighth-placed SuperSport United.
This essentially means that Gallants’ last league game of the season against Sekhukhune is a dead-rubber. Dan Malesela’s side can start focusing on their Nedbank Cup final clash with Sundowns later this month.
SuperSport heaped the pressure on
themselves by falling to an embarrassing 3-1 defeat against last-placed Baroka FC on Saturday, a game in which they gifted the opposition two goals via penalties.
Andre Arendse’s side head into their final game of the season in poor form and have not won in any of their last four league games.
Resurgent Kaizer Chiefs’ 1-0 win over Sekhukhune has given them a chance of potentially breaking into the top two on the last day of the season with a win against relegation-threatened Swallows FC at the FNB Stadium. Chiefs are level on points with thirdplaced Royal AM and three points behind second-placed Cape Town City.
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Stellenbosch FC also still have a chance to secure continental football should they win their final game of the season, which is a Cape derby against City.
Steve Barker’s side have been one of the surprise packages of the season, along with Royal AM, and most recently inflicted Sundowns’ first home league defeat of the season by downing them 3-0 at the Tuks Stadium.
Barker, who has been in charge of the club since 2017, is now the longest serving coach in the South African top-flight.
Stellies battled relegation for much of last season but are certainly reaping the rewards of sticking with Barker even when the going got tough.