Barring a couple of cup competition finals, the sands of time run out on the 2023-24 soccer season this weekend. The stage is set for a grand finale with a dream Soccer 10 on Saturday comprising the last round of PSL matches and two cup finals between eternal enemies - Manchester City square up to their Old Trafford foes at Wembley and Celtic and Rangers go to war again in Glasgow. And to make the Soccer 10 even more alluring, TAB will add R150,000 to the pool. What an opportunity to intensify the excitement of the afternoon and give yourself a chance to win big bucks!
All 16 PSL teams will be in action on the last day of 2023-24 league season in South Africa with all eight matches included in the cash-boosted Soccer 10. This weekend also features the last round of league games in Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s LaLiga - and we’ll know come Sunday evening whether Leeds or Southampton will be back in the English Premier League in the new season.
Loftus Versfeld should be close to capacity tomorrow as Mamelodi Sundowns celebrate their league title with the traditional post-match trophy handover. They will be attempting to finish the season unbeaten, but face a tricky opponent in Cape Town City whose coach Eric Tinkler will have a plan to try and upset his hosts.
The final day of the league season will also settle the battle for second place between Stellenbosch and Orlando Pirates. Both clubs have lost their last two games with nerves and fatigue taking a heavy toll. Neither will be confident of winning tomorrow - Stellenbosch are away at Richards Bay with Pirates at home to SuperSport United. Richards Bay must win to stand any chance of avoiding the promotion relegation playoffs.
For Kaizer Chiefs, once the dominant force in South African soccer but now without silverware since winning the league back in 2015, tomorrow is all about securing eighth place on the log and avoiding the shame of one of their worst seasons in history. They play the last game of another barren campaign away to already-relegated Cape Town Spurs.
If they beat Spurs they will finish eighth and qualify for next season’s MTN8, in which their opening game will be a quarter-final clash away to Sundowns. If they don’t win, they will open the door for one of AmaZulu, Polokwane City, Lamontville Golden Arrows or Chippa United to snatch eighth place.
Chiefs have only finished outside of the top eight twice in more than a half century of South African professional club football history, but their limp performances of late suggest they could struggle tomorrow. It will be the last game in charge for interim coach Cavin Johnson, whose replacement for next season is eagerly anticipated by the Chiefs faithful.
City are 1-3 favourites to beat United at Wembley and complete a historic back-to-back league-cup double. On paper it’s no contest, but Pep Guardiola’s men made heavy weather of overcoming United a year ago and their rivals will throw everything into a one-off chance to redeem their season tomorrow, so be prepared for an electrifying clash. Celtic are even-money favourites to win the Scottish equivalent.
United’s FA Cup prospects look a little brighter; suspensions damage Cape Town City’s prospects of upsetting the champs; Inter Miami lose a key player; Swedish champs vulnerable tonight; French international and former EPL striker Olivier Giroud pops up in Los Angeles
* Manchester United’s injury woes in defence are diminishing in time for their trip to Wembley tomorrow to take on neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Lisandro Martinez played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Brighton with Raphael Varane also making his return off the bench, having been sidelined since early April with a muscle injury.
* Any hopes Cape Town City have of ending Mamelodi Sundowns’ unbeaten run tomorrow have been hit by suspensions to Namibia midfielder Aprocius Petrus and left-back Marc van Heerden, who both miss the trip to Pretoria as a result.
* Inter Miami centre-back Nicolás Freire is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 MLS season in the USA after suffering a right-knee ligament injury. Freire got hurt last Saturday in the second half of Inter Miami's 1-0 win over DC United. The veteran Argentine defender joined Miami in January on a season-long loan from Liga MX side Pumas UNAM, ultimately playing in 10 matches.
* Swedish champions Malmo will be unable to call upon the services of injured Daniel Gudjohnsen, Niklas Moisander, Oliver Berg and Stefano Vecchia for tonight’s home clash against second-from-bottom Kalmar. All are set to make their returns in early June.
* Los Angeles FC have signed striker Olivier Giroud on a two-season deal with an option for 2026. He will join the club in July as a free agent from AC Milan and hook up again with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his long-time France teammate who LAFC signed from Tottenham Hotspur before the start of the season.
SOCCER 10 V3 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: Deportivo Riestra vs Rosario Central | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| With TAB adding R150,000 in cash, there’s a good chance of a mega pool of over R2 million and a bumper payout. Riestra have lost their last two matches and are looking for a first win over Rosario Central, who they have met three times previously with two away defeats and an away draw last month. | |||
| M2: Athlone Town vs University College Dublin | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| UCD are two points above Athlone in the Irish second division and second behind Cork, who have a 10-point lead. | |||
| M3: Bohemians vs St Patrick's Athletic | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Bohemians have won two of their previous five home games. St Pats have collected a single point from their last four matches in the Irish Premier Division. | |||
| M4: Derry City vs Sligo Rovers | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Derry are second in the Irish league, but four points behind leaders Shelbourne. Sligo Rovers have just one victory in their last nine matches. | |||
| M5: Galway United vs Dundalk | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Newly promoted Galway are unbeaten in eight games and up to fourth in the Irish top-flight. Dundalk, the 14-time champions, are bottom. | |||
| M6: Wexford vs Bray Wanderers | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Wexford have drawn four of their previous five outings. Bray have lost three of their last four in the Irish second division. | |||
| M7: Shamrock Rovers vs Shelbourne | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Irish Premier Division champions Rovers trail current leaders Shelbourne by six points. Four of the last six meetings between these two sides have ended in draws. | |||
| M8: Tigre vs Racing Club | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Tigre are on a run of nine matches without a victory. Racing’s last two games were both 3-0 home victories - one in the Argentine league and one in the cup. | |||
| M9: Belgrano vs Central Cordoba | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| The last two clashes between these Argentine clubs have both ended in draws. | |||
| M10: Lanus vs Estudiantes La Plata | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Estudiantes are 17-10 up on Lanus in the win count of their previous meetings. There have also been 20 draws. | |||
Suggested R192 perm: 2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1,2 x 1 x 2,3 x 1,2 x 1,2.
SOCCER 10 V1 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: AmaZulu vs Lamontville Golden Arrows | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| The last day of the 2023-24 PSL season and TAB will inject R150,000 into the pool to make the last act even more exciting. Both sides can still finish in the top eight, but would need to win this derby and hope for help from other games results on the day. | |||
| M2: Cape Town Spurs vs Kaizer Chiefs | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Spurs are already relegated but are on a four-match unbeaten run. If Chiefs win they will finish in eighth place and avoid the embarrassment of matching their worst season in history. | |||
| M3: Chippa United vs Sekhukhune United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Chippa have not won any of their last six outings. Sekhukhune have not won in their last five and will finish the season with coach Lehlohonolo Seema suspended. | |||
| M4: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Cape Town City | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Sundowns lost their 100% win record in the league when City held them to a draw in Cape Town in December. Sundowns have failed to beat City at home over the last two seasons. | |||
| M5: Moroka Swallows vs Royal AM | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Swallows are safe from finishing second last and having to play in the end of season promotion-relegation playoff, but if Royal AM lose they could finish 15th in the standings and find themselves in the playoffs. | |||
| M6: Orlando Pirates vs SuperSport United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Pirates have won five successive home matches against SuperSport United. | |||
| M7: Polokwane City vs TS Galaxy | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Polokwane could snatch a surprise top-eight berth with a home win, but their last three matches have all ended goalless. Galaxy are headed for their best-yet finish and are already guaranteed a top-eight finish. | |||
| M8: Richards Bay vs Stellenbosch | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Richards Bay must win to stand any chance of avoiding the end-of-season promotion-relegation playoffs, while Stellenbosch are guaranteed second place if they win. | |||
| M9: Glasgow Celtic vs Glasgow Rangers | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| The Old Firm derby moves to neutral Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup final as Celtic look to complete the league-and-cup double. | |||
| M10: Manchester City vs Manchester United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| The first teams in history to meet in back-to-back FA Cup finals. City won 2-1 at Wembley last year. | |||
Suggested R144 perm: 1 x 2,3 x 1 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2 x 2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1 x 1.