TAB WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 25 - 27 APRIL 2026

R23-MILLION SOCCER 13 HEADLINES MARVELLOUS WEEKEND

The Soweto derby and FA Cup semi-finals headline the football action on an electrifying weekend offering a guaranteed R23-million Soccer 13 Jackpot for all-13-correct entries and three carryover Soccer 10 pools, plus a carryover Soccer Any 13 Xtra. What a weekend - take a look at the match line-up in each pool and decide which bets you want to play - a R2 bet could transform your life overnight.

PIRATES’ FIREPOWER TO PROVE DECISIVE IN DERBY

The battles for the Betway Premiership and English Premier League titles resume this weekend. At home Orlando Pirates currently hold a one-point lead on the log over reigning champs Mamelodi Sundowns, who in theory are still on track to capture the title again because they have played a game less.

But that can all change in a flash in any one of the handful of matches remaining and we are now at a point when every league game is like a cup final for teams involved in title races, and the pressure intensifies by the day.

On the face of it Pirates should outgun Kaizer Chiefs in Sunday’s derby at FNB Stadium. Chiefs are currently third in the table after pulling themselves together in recent weeks and had won four games in succession before a disappointing no-score draw away to Polokwane City last Saturday.

But Chiefs were played off the park by Pirates in the reverse fixture at the same venue less than two months ago with the Buccaneers winning 3-0 though goals by Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa.

And it’s the ability to score goals that should prove decisive in this derby. Pirates have scored more goals this season than any other team in the table, netting 50 times in 25 league matches and conceding only 11. Chiefs, by comparison, have managed only 28 goals in 24 matches while conceding 14.

Those statistics highlight the key difference between these arch-rivals and while strange things can happen in a Soweto derby pressure cooker, it seems well worth gambling on Pirates to outscore Chiefs in Sunday’s R200,000 carryover Soccer 10 and R75,000-added Soccer 6.

SUNDOWNS SHOULD DO THE JOB AGAINST RICHARDS BAY

Not long after the derby Sundowns will take on Richards Bay at the King Zwelithini stadium in Durban. The task is not as simple as it looks on paper for Sundowns, especially after dropping points at home against Stellenbosch on Wednesday night. But they have so much more quality than Richards Bay that it’s difficult to envisage them not coming home with all three points.

Other likely bankers in this Soccer 10 are Stuttgart to win at home against Werder Bremen in a Bundesliga clash and Hearts to win away at Hibernian.

The second of the FA Cup semi-finals between Chelsea and Leeds United is also included in both the above-mentioned Soccer 6 and 10 pools. A few days ago many would have fancied Leeds, who appear safe from relegation following a last-gasp equaliser against Bournemouth on Wednesday night, to beat Chelsea - especially after the London club suffered their fifth league defeat in a row when slammed 3-0 by Brighton.

But Chelsea promptly sacked head coach Liam Rosenior, an inappropriate appointment in the first place and who was doomed a couple of weeks back when it emerged he wanted to foster team spirit by getting players to build Lego models together (for goodness sake try that on a youth team not the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez).

Chelsea go into this game under a caretaker coach and there’s a strong chance that the so-called “new manager bounce” will see them suddenly get their act together. If that does prove the case, Leeds may find themselves outgunned and outclassed.

CITY SHOULD PACK TOO MUCH QUALITY IN CUP SEMI-FINAL

Saturday’s mega Soccer 13 and carryover Soccer 10 both include the first of the FA Cup semi-finals between Manchester City and Southampton and this should be one-way traffic for Pep Guardiola’s men.

They put themselves and their fans through an agonising 90-plus minutes against Burnley on Wednesday night, scoring early on and then missing a raft of chances before having to defend a corner in the last moments that could have derailed their title hopes in a split second.

They are unlikely to miss as many chances against Southampton, who are in fabulous form and had won eight in a row before a midweek draw against Bristol City. But Southampton do not have the class of City, who should make full use of the wide open spaces of Wembley and run their second-tier rivals ragged.

Other bankers for the Soccer 13 are Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield United and many will also opt to banker Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs to win. All three should take three points from their respective games (must-wins for Arsenal and Spurs) provided nerves don’t unravel them.

The weekend gets going with a R200,000 carryover Soccer 10 tonight in which a home win for Napoli and away successes for Millwall and Real Madrid all look banker bets.

MATCH PREVIEWS OF CARRYOVER SOCCER 10 BETS

Fri 24 April - S10 V2

M1 Durban City vs Orbit College FC: Friday night’s Soccer 10 is one of the most popular bets of the week and a R200,000 carryover should ensure a pool of over R2 million. City are on a three-game losing streak in the Betway Premiership, while Orbit are winless in their last five. City won the last meeting with Orbit 3-0 away and are sixth with 35 points, 16 ahead of their 16th-placed rivals.

M2 Golden Arrows vs Siwelele FC: Arrows are on a two-game winning streak in the PSL, while Siwelele are winless in their last three. Siwelele won the last meeting between the teams 3-1 last August, but Arrows are eighth in the table with 34 points, six ahead of 11th-placed Siwelele.

M3 Albacete vs Eibar: Albacete have avoided defeat in seven of their last nine games, while Eibar are unbeaten in nine. Eibar won the last meeting 3-2 and are eighth, 11 points ahead of 13th-placed Albacete in LaLiga2.

M4 Cercle Brugge vs Dender EH: Belgian relegation-group encounter. Brugge are unbeaten in their last four games, while Dender have lost seven of their last 10. Brugge beat Dender 4-1 away recently and finished 14th in the main league with 31 points, 12 more than 16th-placed Dender.

M5 Stade Brest vs Lens: Lens have won five of their last 10 Ligue 1 games, while Brest are winless in four. Lens won the last meeting 3-1 in August and are second with 62 points, 25 ahead of 12th-placed Brest.

M6 Napoli vs Cremonese: Napoli have won five of their last seven Serie A games, while Cremonese have lost seven of their last 10. Napoli won the last meeting 2-0 away and are third with 66 points, 38 ahead of 17th-placed Cremonese.

M7 Avellino vs Bari: Avellino have won four of their last seven Serie B games, while Bari have lost five of their last seven. The teams drew 1-1 in their last clash but Avellino are 10th with 43 points, nine ahead of 17th-placed Bari.

M8 Leicester City vs Millwall: Leicester are winless in their last seven Championship matches, while Millwall have won seven of their last 11. Millwall won the last meeting 1-0 and are third in the Championship table, 37 points ahead of already-relegated Leicester.

M9 Real Betis vs Real Madrid: Betis are winless in their last five games, while Madrid have lost momentum with a loss and a draw in their last two LaLiga matches. Madrid won the last meeting 5-1 in January and are second in the league with 70 points, 24 ahead of fifth-placed Betis.

M10 Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest: Sunderland have lost five of their last 10 games, while Forest are fighting hard to avoid relegation and are unbeaten in seven. Sunderland won the last meeting 1-0 away and are 11th with 46 points with Forest 16th on 36 points.

Sat 25 April – S10 V1

M1 AmaZulu vs Chippa United: R200,000 carryover pool. AmaZulu are winless in their last three games, while Chippa have been unable to win in seven of their last nine. AmaZulu won the last meeting between the teams 3-0 away last November and are fourth on the PSL log with 39 points, 15 ahead of 13th-placed Chippa.

M2 Heidenheim vs St. Pauli: Heidenheim have lost six of their last 10 league games, while St. Pauli are winless in six. St. Pauli won the last meeting 2-1 in December and are 16^th in Bundesliga with 26 points, seven ahead of Heidenheim.

M3 Wolfsburg vs Borussia M'gladbach: Wolfsburg have lost seven of their last 10 Bundesliga games, while Borussia are winless in four games. Borussia are 13th, seven points ahead of 17th-placed Wolfsburg, who won the last meeting 3-1 away in December.

M4 Liverpool vs Crystal Palace: Liverpool have lost four of their last six games in all competitions, while Palace have won six of their last 10. In their last meeting, Palace beat Liverpool 3-0 in the League Cup, but Liverpool are fifth in the EPL with 55 points, 12 ahead of 13th-placed Palace.

M5 West Ham United vs Everton: West Ham have avoided defeat in seven of their last 10 games in all competitions, while Everton have lost four of their last eight EPL fixtures. The last meeting between them ended 1-1 draw, but Everton are 10th with 47 points, while relegation-threatened West Ham are 17th with 33 points.

M6 Wolverhampton vs Tottenham Hotspur: Wolves are winless in their last four games and already relegated, while Spurs have lost seven of their last 10 and looking likely to be relegated. Spurs are 18th with 31 points, 14 ahead of Wolves, and this is a must win for them.

M7 Getafe vs Barcelona: Getafe have won six of their last nine league games, while Barcelona have won eight of their last 10 in all competitions. Barcelona won the last meeting 3-0 and top LaLiga, 38 points ahead of eighth-placed Getafe.

M8 Sekhukhune United vs Marumo Gallants: Sekhukhune have been unable to win in seven of their last eight games, while Gallants are winless in their last five PSL fixtures. The last meeting between them ended 1-1, but Sekhukhune are fifth with 38 points, 18 ahead of 15th-placed Gallants.

M9 Manchester City vs Southampton: FA Cup semi-final with EPL log-leaders City on a winning streak of four games in all competitions, while lower-tier Southampton have won eight in a row. City should pack too much class.

M10 Arsenal vs Newcastle United: Arsenal are winless in their last three games, while Newcastle are on a four-game losing streak. Arsenal won the last meeting 2-1 away and are second on the log with 70 points, 28 more than Newcastle.

Sun 26 April – S10 V3

M1 Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs: The famous Soweto derby kicks off this R200,000 carryover Soccer 10 and it should be a cracker. Pirates are unbeaten in their last eight PSL games, winning six, while Chiefs are unbeaten in six. Pirates won the last clash with their arch rivals 3-0 and top the Betway Premiership log with 58 points, 12 ahead of third-placed Chiefs who have played a game less.

M2 Polokwane City vs Stellenbosch: Polokwane are unbeaten in three games, while Stellenbosch have avoided defeat in seven of their last eight. Polokwane won the last meeting 2-1 away in December and are seventh with 34 points, two ahead of ninth-placed Stellenbosch.

M3 TS Galaxy FC vs Magesi: Galaxy are on a three-game losing streak in the PSL, while Magesi have failed to win in eight of their last 10. Galaxy are 12th with 25 points, five more than 14th-placed Magesi who won the last meeting between the sides 2-1 last October.

M4 Dundee United vs Dundee FC: Scottish Premiership. United are unbeaten in seven of their last 10 games, while Dundee FC are winless in their last four. The teams drew 2-2 in their last clash and in the last 15 meetings United have won five times to Dundee FC’s four. United are seventh with 40 points, seven ahead of ninth-placed Dundee.

M5 Genoa vs Como: Genoa are on a two-game winning streak, whereas Como have lost their last two. The last clash between them yielded a 1-1 draw and in the last nine meetings Genoa have won twice and Como three times. Como are fifth in Serie A with 58 points, 19 ahead of 13th-placed Genoa.

M6 VFB Stuttgart vs Werder Bremen: Stuttgart have lost five of their last 10 games, while Bremen have lost six of their last 10 in the Bundesliga. Stuttgart won the last meeting 4-0 away and are fourth with 56 points, 25 ahead of 15th-placed Bremen.

M7 Chelsea vs Leeds United: Chelsea have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, while Leeds are unbeaten in their last six. The last meeting between the teams ended 2-2 earlier this year. Chelsea are nine points ahead of Leeds on the log and have won nine of the last 15 clashes over 24 years, but that may count for little in this FA Cup semi-final.

M8 Real Oviedo vs Elche: Oviedo have won three of their last four LaLiga games as they make a late bid to avoid relegation, while Elche have won two of their last three. Elche won the last meeting 1-0 and are 18^th on the log, five points ahead of last-placed Oviedo.

M9 Hibernian vs Hearts: Hibernian have avoided defeat in eight of their last 10 Scottish Premiership games, while Hearts have won six of their last 10. Hearts won the last meeting 1-0 and head the table, 19 points ahead of fifth-placed Hibernian.

M10 Richards Bay vs Mamelodi Sundowns: Sundowns are on a seven-game winning streak and have won their last 10 clashes with Richards Bay, who are unbeaten in their last three. Sundowns are second in the league, 26 points ahead of 10th-placed Richards Bay.