Rested Sundowns out to finish 2023 in style

Mamelodi Sundowns should have benefitted from a rare and unexpected few days without playing, when they host Polokwane City in their final game of 2023 on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.

The Brazilians simply had to turn up at their home ground, pose for a team photo and then drive home on Wednesday, with Moroka Swallows unable to honour their DStv Premiership match.

This should ultimately result in by far Sundowns’ easiest victory of the season, if the Premier Soccer League, as expected, punish Swallows and award a 3-0 loss against them.

Rulani Mokwena’s men will also no doubt have been thankful for the rest, after a hectic first half of the season that has seen them play in five different competitions. Masandawana combined going all the way in the inaugural Caf African Football League with reaching the final of the MTN8, and keeping up with the pace in their Caf Champions League group.

If Sundowns did get booted out of of the Carling Black Label Knockout in the last 16, that was while many of their star names were on Bafana duty, and the Tshwane giants have continued to dominate the DStv Premiership, seemingly cruising towards a seventh consecutive title.

Sundowns finally dropped league points on Christmas Eve in a goalless draw at Cape Town City, but a record 11 wins on the spin before that have left the rest of the Premiership in their wake.

The Brazilians may only have a five point lead over SuperSport United, but they have three games in hand on their Tshwane rivals, and at least two in hand on all of the rest of the league.

Sundowns will want to go into the break for the Africa Cup of Nations finals on a high, however, and should have far too much firepower for Polokwane City.

Appollis on song

The Limpopo side went into this weekend’s games in 7^th place on the table, and are coming off the back of a 2-1 win over Chippa United. Striker Oswin Appollis got both goals in that match, and was also named this week in Hugo Broos’ final Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Appollis will no doubt be keen to show what he can do against many of his Bafana teammates on Saturday, with Sundowns boasting an amazing ten members of that final South African squad that will head to the Ivory Coast in January.