Wins for Sundowns, Newcastle and Edinburgh?

There’s plenty to keep sports fans glued to their screens this weekend. Here’s a look at how three of the biggest matches happening could play out.

Football

Mamelodi Sundowns v Kaizer Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs will need to seriously upset the form book if they are to beat Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday, and reach the Nedbank Cup final.

Amakhosi have lost all three previous meetings with Masandawana this season. Sundowns hammered Chiefs 4-0 in the Carling Black Label Knockout quarterfinals, and beat them home and away in the Betway Premiership.

On top of this, Chiefs are having a miserable season in the Premiership and are coming into Sunday’s game off the back of four league matches without a win.

Cup matches can certainly produce surprises but Chiefs will have to be at their best, and hope Sundowns are off the boil after returning from a tough Champions League quarterfinal in Tunisia.

Prediction: Sundowns 2 Kaizer Chiefs 0

Newcastle United v Manchester United

Newcastle continue their chase for a place in next season’s Uefa Champions League on Sunday when they host Manchester United at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe’s side are currently in fifth place in the table, which would be enough after it was confirmed this week that English sides will get five places in next season’s competition.

It is so tight in the battle for fourth and fifth, however, that the Magpies will need to keep on winning.
Man Utd are having a pitiful season in the Premier League, currently sitting in 13th place.

Prediction: Newcastle United 1 Manchester United 0

Rugby

Edinburgh v Bulls

These teams know each other well from playing against each other in the United Rugby Championship, but this is now knockout rugby in the Challenge Cup competition.

As things stand in the URC, the Bulls are third on the points table thanks to 10 wins from 14 matches, while Edinburgh are eighth, thanks to six wins from 14 matches.

Last weekend, Edinburgh beat the Lions 24-12 in Scotland, while the Bulls beat Bayonne 32-22 in France.

Both teams will be confident of progressing to the semi-finals when they clash in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon.

Prediction: Edinburgh to win