TAB soccer pools are taking on a different look as football moves into the off-season and international clashes dominate in many of this weekend’s bets. But there’s still big money to be won, including tonight’s R100,000-added Soccer 10 which is just one of five cash-boosted pools in the next three days. There’s another R100,000-added Soccer 10 tomorrow, plus a cash-boosted Any 13 Xtra and a Soccer 13 with a guaranteed R18-million pot if there’s only one outright winner.
Bafana Bafana play an international friendly against Tanzania this Friday night, which should give head coach Hugo Broos a chance to look at some of his fringe players. Bafana have far more important matters to deal with in September, when the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers resume. So for Broos now is certainly the right time to experiment.
Mamelodi Sundowns have formed the core of this Bafana side for some time. But they have no players in the current Bafana squad because they are preparing for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. This gives plenty of room for Broos to hand out Bafana debuts as South Africa take on Tanzania at the Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight and Mozambique at the same venue on Tuesday.
Broos has promised that every single player in his squad will be given a chance to play in one of the two friendlies.
Bafana should have too much for Tanzania. Even with several likely newcomers in the squad, there is no shortage of regular players. So expect Broos’ side to perhaps take a little time to gel, but to still run out comfortable winners against their East African opponents.
Bafana have developed into a far more reliable side under Broos and are on a run of 18 unbeaten matches with the Belgian in charge. They will not want that streak to end in these two friendlies!
Best banker bets for tonight’s Soccer 10 are a home win for South Africa against Tanzania and Italy to win away in Norway.
Bafana are also playing in the COSAFA Cup, but are fielding a second or even third-string side in the regional competition. South Africa even have a different coach for the tournament - Vela Khumalo - and lost their opening match 1-0 to Mozambique at the Free State Stadium on Wednesday.
Khumalo’s Bafana will now face Zimbabwe in their second Group A match at the Free State Stadium this Saturday, a game they need to win to boost their hopes of progressing in the competition.
The match kicks off the day’s R100,000-added Soccer 10, which also contains several World Cup qualifiers. Expect Serbia and Holland to win away against Albania and Finland respectively, while Austria should prevail at home against Romania. And Denmark at home should outclass Ireland, but it’s a friendly clash and neither country may field their best side.
| M1 | Hungary vs Sweden | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Friendly clash kicks off this R100,000-added pool. Hungary are winless in their last four UEFA Nations League fixtures, while Sweden have won six of their last eight in all competitions. The two last met in a friendly nine years ago, when Sweden won 2-0 away. | |||
| M2 | South Africa vs Tanzania | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Another friendly. Bafana have won four of their last six matches and Tanzania have lost three in a row. Tanzania won the last match between the sides 1-0 but that was eight years ago. | |||
| M3 | Estonia vs Israel | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| World Cup qualifier. Estonia have lost five of their last eight games and Israel six of their last 10. Israel won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier this year, but are now away. | |||
| M4 | North Macedonia vs Belgium | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| North Macedonia are unbeaten in their last eight games, while Belgium have lost six of their last nine. Belgium eighth on FIFA rankings to North Macedonia’s 67th but that may count for little in this World Cup qualifier. | |||
| M5 | Norway vs Italy | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| World Cup qualifier. Norway have won four of their last six, while Italy have just one victory from their last five. Norway won 4-2 away against Israel last time, while Italy drew 3-3 away against Germany in a Nations League match. | |||
| M6 | Republic Of Ireland vs Senegal | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Friendly. Ireland have won two in a row in UEFA Nations League and Senegal are unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions, winning six. They have not played each other before. | |||
| M7 | Scotland vs Iceland | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Scotland have won three of their last five but lost 3-0 to Greece last time, our and drawn the other, whereas Iceland are on a three-game losing streak. Friendly encounter and much will depend if Scotland fields a full-strength line-up. | |||
| M8 | Morocco vs Tunisia | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Morocco are on a nine-game winning streak in all competitions while Tunisia have won five of their last eight. Morocco are the top-ranked side in Africa. | |||
| M9 | Colombia vs Peru | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Colombia have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions with Peru recording two wins in their last eight. The last match between them ended 1-1 last year. Columbia are sixth on the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification table with Peru 10 points behind them in ninth. | |||
| M10 | Venezuela vs Bolivia | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Venezuela are winless in nine of their last 10 games in all competitions and Bolivia have failed to win any of their last five. Venezuela have won four of the last six games between the teams, including a 4-0 victory last September last year. Venezuela are seventh on the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification table with Peru a point behind them. | |||
Suggested R72 perm: 1,2 x 3 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1,2 x 1 x 1.
| M1 | South Africa vs Zimbabwe | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Another R100,000-added pot and a COSAFA Cup fixture gets the ball rolling. Bafana have won three of their last five games, while Zimbabwe have four draws and a loss from their last five. SA won the last match between the two 3-1 last June. | |||
| M2 | Latvia vs Azerbaijan | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Friendly. Latvia have been defeated in seven of their last 10 games and Azerbaijan in seven of their last nine. Latvia were the victors in their last encounter three years ago, winning 1-0 away. Close game. | |||
| M3 | Malta vs Lithuania | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Malta have lost their last two World Cup qualifiers and Lithuania haven't won any of their last nine games. Head to head there is little to choose between them with one draw and a win apiece in their last three encounters. | |||
| M4 | Tanzania vs Madagascar | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| COSAFA Cup clash. Tanzania have lost three in a row and haven’t played since January, while Madagascar have lost three of their last five but won the other two. The last match between them ended 1-1, but that was in 2021. | |||
| M5 | Denmark vs Northern Ireland | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Friendly. Denmark have won only one of their last six games, while Northern Ireland have two wins and three draws from their last six. Northern Ireland won 2-0 when the teams last met in a EURO qualifier. | |||
| M6 | Albania vs Serbia | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| World Cup qualifier. Albania won a recent WC qualifier against Andorra to halt a three-game winless streak. Serbia are undefeated in their last four. | |||
| M7 | Austria vs Romania | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| WC qualifier. Austria will start favourites but have two losses and a draw from their last three matches, whereas Romania have won seven of their last eight. | |||
| M8 | Finland vs Netherlands | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Finland are ranked 69th in the world and have lost seven of their last 10 games, winning once. Netherlands, ranked eighth by FIFA, have one win and two draws from their last five. | |||
| M9 | Greece vs Slovakia | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Friendly. Greece have won seven of their last nine games in all competitions, while Slovakia have won four of their last eight Nations League fixtures. Greece won their last game 3-0 away against Scotland, while Slovakia lost 1-0 away last time against Slovenia. | |||
| M10 | Canada vs Ukraine | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Friendly. Canada have avoided defeat in six of their last seven matches, including a notable 2-1 win over USA recently. Ukraine have avoided defeat in five of their last six matches, but went down 3-0 against Belgium in their last outing. | |||
Suggested R54 perm: 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 3.