City aim to spoil the party

City aim to spoil the party

With the DStv Premiership title now officially secured, the big question is whether Sundowns can remain focused when they face a tricky Cape Town City tonight – the only local match included in today’s TAB Soccer 10 pool.

By Mark Gleeson

Mamelodi Sundowns will be feted tonight as the champions of the 2022-23 season but coach Rulani Mokwena will be the first to admit concern over the festivities leading to his players taking their eye off the ball.

As it is, they have a tricky opponent in Cape Town City and if they are to lose concentration, or go into the game without the requisite diligence, could be caught by Eric Tinkler’s men.

Sundowns were crowned champions on Saturday despite not playing in the league this weekend. Rather, they were in African Champions League action where they won to complete the group phase unbeaten.

Mokwena also rested players who had been away on international duty but the likes of Peter Shalulile, Ronwen Williams and Themba Zwane should be restored to the starting line-up tonight.

City are looking again to be setting themselves up for a strong finish to the season, as they did last year when they stormed into second place behind Sundowns.

Ten points from their previous four league outings sees City now up to fifth spot in the DStv Premiership standings, and they will be one of the bigger threats that Sundowns have faced of late.

Tomorrow sees bottom-placed Marumo Gallants return to action after their exploits on the continent. Their performances in winning their African Confederation Cup group contrast with their lowly league position and they are desperate for points when they host Royal AM. The match is being played in Bloemfontein where Gallants are hoping to fix a more permanent future move if they can get some financial support from the city.

On Sunday, Gallants came from two goals down and scored three times in five minutes to beat Congolese club St Eloi Lupopo. That is a major morale booster given they rested the majority of their regulars for the game.

In England, both Chelsea and Leicester City sacked their managers on Sunday after a run of poor form and will go into key midweek games with caretakers on the bench.

Tonight, Chelsea play Liverpool while Leicester, still the only team in the Premier League without a clean sheet since the World Cup, are home to Aston Villa. First-team coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell will oversee the Foxes while Bruno Saltor will temporarily take charge of Chelsea as the Blues now sit 13 points adrift of a place in the top four thanks to Newcastle United’s win over Manchester United on Sunday.