Five things to look out for in the Absa Premiership this weekend

Can 2019/20 Kaizer Chiefs find a way to beat Maritzburg United?

For all of Kaizer Chiefs’ success this season, Maritzburg United have proved a bit of a bogey team for Ernst Middendorp’s men, beating them in the Telkom Knockout semifinals, and picking up a point against them in the Absa Premiership’s first round, and only a Daniel Akpeyi save from a Daylon Claasen penalty stopped the Team of Choice from grabbing all three. United already had a large say in the title race this week when they won 1-0 at Wits on Wednesday night, and Eric Tinkler has built a side that is very difficult to beat, as three defeats in their last 21 league and cup games perfectly illustrate. Chiefs in 2020 have not been quite as good overall as Chiefs in late 2019, though they do still have a healthy lead at the top of the table. Lose to Maritzburg on Saturday at FNB Stadium, however, and wins for Chippa United, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will see some sweaty palms over at Naturena.

Daniel Akpeyi of Kaizer Chiefs during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 match between Kaizer Chiefs and Cape Town City at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg on the 12 January 2020 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Should Bidvest Wits find another home ground?

Gavin Hunt was moaning about the pitch at Bidvest Stadium as “heavy” after their loss to Maritzburg United in midweek, and while Wits “home” has moved around a lot this season, from Dobsonville Stadium to Durban, their three defeats in the league have all come on campus. Whether it is the small venue or the exceedingly irritating band, something has not been quite right at Wits for Wits for a while now, and they will probably be relieved to be on the road again against Baroka FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. Wits’ away record over the past couple of seasons bears a stark contrast to their efforts at home – in fact, if their home form had been even acceptable they would certainly have challenged Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title last season. Expect them to win at Baroka, even if the Limpopo sight are scrapping for their lives to avoid relegation.

Gavin Hunt, Coach of Bidvest Wits during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 match between Bidvest Wits and Maritzburg United at the Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg on the 12 February 2020 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Can Pirates just keep on winning?

Orlando Pirates’ turnaround under Josef Zinnbauer has been staggering, and both a reflection of the impact the German has had at the club since arriving in December, and, frankly, highlighting even more that it simply wasn’t working at the Buccaneers under Rulani Mokwena, for whatever reason. Pirates did suffer a blip last weekend when they were knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by Bidvest Wits, but that means that they really can simply concentrate on continuing their blistering league form, with six wins and a draw in their last seven league games lifting them up to 2^nd in the table. It was no surprise when Zinnbauer won the Coach of the Month Award for January this week and even less surprising that Gabadinho Mhango won Player of the Month. Suspended for the Wits game, Mhango should be raring to go against Black Leopards on Sunday, a side he scored twice against on December 21. Thohoyandou is a difficult place to go, however, and another test for a side that cannot really afford to drop more points, if they want to catch Kaizer Chiefs.

Josef Zinnbauer coach of Orlando Pirates during the Nedbank Cup Last 32 match between Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits on 09 February 2020 at Orlando Stadium ,Soweto, Pic Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Can Sundowns keep firing on all fronts?

Mamelodi Sundowns have two Absa Premiership home games to play in the space of five days, with Saturday’s match against Chippa United, followed by a rescheduled game against Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday, moved forward because of Masandawana’s continued success in the Caf Champions League. Pitso Mosimane wastes no opportunity to rib Kaizer Chiefs over the fact that they are far better rested than his side, given that they did not play on the continent this season, or in the MTN8, or even go as far as Sundowns did in the Telkom Knockout. If he has a point, the sheer size of Sundowns’ squad, as well as the depth of the pockets of Patrice Motsepe, makes it hard to sympathise too much, and Sundowns can be nothing other than heavy favourites to dispense of Chippa and Celtic, before their focus turns to Vaal University in the Nedbank Cup, and then, of course, Al Ahly in the quarterfinals of the Caf Champions League.

Pitso Mosimane, coach of Mamelodi Sundowns reacts during the 2020 Nedbank Cup match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Supersport United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria on 08 February 2020 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Can Stellenbosch spring another surprise?

Steve Barker has done a remarkable job in turning around the fortunes of Stellenbosch FC, who are by no means completely safe from relegation trouble, but at 11^th in the table, have gone a long way towards surviving in their first season in the Absa Premiership. The Cape side have won three of their last four Absa Premiership matches, and were a little unlucky in the end to lose to a Thabo Matlaba wonder-strike at Black Leopards in their most recent league game, while last weekend they ran in-form Maritzburg United extremely close in the Nedbank Cup Last 32. SuperSport are the visitors to Stellenbosch on Friday evening, with Kaitano Tembo’s side rapidly left with little to play for, having dropped out of the Nedbank Cup at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns, and inconsistency in the league leaving them with little chance of catching Kaizer Chiefs at the top. Stellenbosch have already beaten Orlando Pirates at home this season, and might just fancy their chances of taking down a vulnerable Matsatsantsa.

Steve Barker coach of Stellenbosch FC during the Absa Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC on 11 December 2019 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium Pic Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix

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