Here comes a dream weekend for TAB soccer customers. There’s a guaranteed R23-million Jackpot pool to be shared by everybody who can forecast the outcomes of all 13 matches in Saturday’s Soccer 13 and TAB is adding nearly R1 million to five other pools in the form of bonus add-ins and a carryover. And across the board TAB pools are loaded with top games with Saturday’s Soweto derby, in which Orlando Pirates square up to Kaizer Chiefs at Soccer City, headlining the action.
This is the first clash of the season between these arch-rivals and on paper virtually the only thing going for Chiefs favour is history. This is the 184th Soweto derby, which was first played in 1970, and Chiefs can boast 75 victories to 49 by Pirates with 54 draws and five matches abandoned.
Chiefs also won the last meeting between them - in Durban in May last year in last season’s Nedbank Cup final - but that success was more due to good luck than ability with Pirates squandering a host of chances in front of goal.
Pirates had won five derbies in a row before that and are significantly superior to Chiefs in terms of current ability. And to stack the odds more in Pirates’ favour, Chiefs have gone downhill recently after a bright first half of the season.
After being excellent defensively, Chiefs have now gone four games in a row in all competitions without keeping a clean sheet and continue to waste too many opportunities in front of goal. That’s the reason they come into this derby off the back of a 2-1 defeat at the feet of Stellenbosch on Tuesday night with Ashley Du Preez and Flavio Da Silva both missing sitters in the game.
Chiefs have not been helped by an injury to new signing Etiosa Ighodaro, but should still be finding a way to score more goals. Attacking midfielder Ethan Chislett made his debut on Tuesday and looked promising, but it remains to be seen if they will field the 27-year-old against Pirates.
All that said the intense pressure of a Soweto derby often results in ability and form counting for little. Plus Pirates will have to put the bitter disappointment of two successive losses in a row behind them if they are to prevail here - they lost a crucial top-of-the-table clash to Sundowns 10 days ago and were then knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by second-tier Casric Stars a few days later, when they were clearly impacted by the hangover from Sundowns’ defeat.
The match kicks off tomorrow’s R100,000-added Soccer 6 and R250,000-added Soccer 10, and best advice is to gamble on a win by Pirates, as well as home successes for Barcelona and Rennes and an away victory for Brentford.
Saturday’s R23-million guaranteed Soccer 13 contains a challenging and delightful cocktail of English Premier League, Championship League One clashes that should yield a bumper payout.
Many believe that fixed-odds betting always provides a good indication to the likely outcome, in which case you can make bankers of Manchester City and Brentford to win away to Leeds and Burnley respectively, plus Liverpool and Newcastle to triumph at home against West Ham and Everton.
Of the four games, away wins by City and Brentford look likely but home successes for Liverpool and Newcastle seem far from guaranteed. Liverpool are still trying to put it all together, whereas West Ham finally look totally committed to remain in the EPL and can be counted on to fight tooth and nail for every ball. That makes them dangerous to the misfiring champions and Everton look more than capable of putting Newcastle to the sword. Everton have lost their last two, but played well and lost by just a single goal on both occasions.
Banker bets in the Championship are home wins for Coventry and Ipswich. Coventry lost their way towards the end of last month, but have bounced back and lead the log again by five points after three wins on the trot. They should beat visitors Stoke and Ipswich also look set for a home success against Swansea.
M1 Magesi vs Polokwane City: What a weekend for TAB soccer customers and it starts with this R250,000-added Soccer 10, which offers the chance to win a truckload of cash. Magesi are winless in their last nine games and Polokwane in their last four. In the last five meetings, Polokwane have won three times and Magesi once with their most recent clash ending scoreless. Polokwane are seventh in the league with 25 points, 13 ahead of 16th-placed Magesi.
M2 Stellenbosch vs AmaZulu: Stellenbosch ended a four-game winless streak when beating Chiefs midweek are winless in their last four games, while AmaZulu lost to Sundowns midweek but had won seven of 10 games previously. AmaZulu won the last meeting between the teams 2-1 and are fifth on the table, 11 points ahead of 13th-placed Stellenbosch.
M3 Telstar vs NAC Breda: Telstar are winless in their last three, while Breda are on a two-game winning streak. Telstar won the last meeting 1-0 away, but Breda have won eight of the last 15 encounters and are 16th in the Dutch Eredivisie with 22 points, four more than 17th-placed Telstar.
M4 Augsburg vs FC Koln: Augsburg have won four of their last five Bundesliga games, while Koln are winless in their last three. The teams drew 1-1 last October in their last clash and over the past 10 years have won four times apiece with seven draws. Augsburg are 10th on 28 points, four more than 12th-placed Koln.
M5 Parma vs Cagliari: Parma are on a three-game winning streak in Serie A, while Cagliari are winless in their last three. Cagliari won the last meeting between them 2-0 last September and are 13th in the table, three points and a place behind Parma.
M6 Strasbourg vs Lens: Lens have won eight of their last 10 games in all competitions, while Strasbourg have won six of their last 10. Lens won the last meeting 1-0 in November and are second in Ligue 1 with 52 points, 18 ahead of seventh-placed Strasbourg.
M7 Bristol City vs Watford: Bristol have lost four of their last nine Championship games, while Watford have been unable to win in eight of their last nine in all competitions. Watford are ninth with 48 points, one ahead of 12th-placed Bristol City who won the last meeting between them 5-1 in the FA Cup.
M8 Levante vs Deportivo Alaves: Levante are on a four-game losing streak in LaLiga, while Alaves are winless in their last three across all competitions. Alaves won the last meeting 2-1 and are 15th with 26 points compared to Levante in 19th with 18 points.
M9 Bohemians vs Shamrock Rovers: Bohemians have two wins and a draw from their first three games in this season’s Irish Premier Division, while Rovers have a win and draw from their first two matches. Rovers won the last meeting between them 2-1 last September and over the last 15 clashes have won seven times to Bohemian’s six.
M10 Wolverhampton vs Aston Villa: Wolves stumble on and have been unable to win in seven of their last eight EPL games, while Villa have won five of their last 10 in all competitions. Villa won the last meeting between them 1-0 in November and are third with 51 points, while Wolves continue to languish in last place.
M1 Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates: Get set for a mega pot of over R500,000 in this R100,000-added Soccer 6, which kicks off with a Soweto derby. Chiefs have won five of their last eight games, while Pirates have won seven of their last 10 but come into this contest off two defeats in a row. Chiefs won the last derby 2-1, but are fourth in the Betway Premiership and eight points adrift of log-leaders Pirates who have played a game more.
M2 Borussia M'gladbach vs Union Berlin: Borussia are winless in their last six games, while Berlin have been unable to win in seven of their last eight. Berlin won the last meeting between them 3-1 last October and are ninth in Bundesliga, six points ahead of 14th-placed Borussia after 23 games played.
M3 Barcelona vs Villarreal: Barcelona have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions and Villarreal have lost five of their last eight. Barcelona have won 11 of the last 15 matches between the sides, including the most recent, and have regained the lead in LaLiga with 61 points, 10 more than third-placed Villarreal.
M4 Golden Arrows vs Chippa United: Arrows are on a three-game winning streak and Chippa have won three of their last four. The teams drew 0-0 in their last clash and are separated by only two points in the PSL table with Arrows ninth and Chippa 13th.
M5 Siwelele FC vs TS Galaxy FC: Galaxy have lost three of their last five PSL games, while Siwelele are winless in their last six across all competitions. Galaxy are eighth with 24 points, six ahead of 11th-placed Siwelele who have played a game more.
M6 Orbit College vs Richards Bay: Clash between the two bottom teams in the league. Orbit are two points ahead of Richards Bay but have played a game more. Both teams are winless in their last five PSL matches. Any result possible with a draw the most likely.