Sundowns can go top of Betway Premiership with Golden Arrows win

Mamelodi Sundowns have the chance to move three points clear at the top of the Betway Premiership when they visit Golden Arrows at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Sunday.

The match is scheduled to begin at 15:00, with Sundowns level on 13 points with current leaders Orlando Pirates. However, Mamelodi Sundowns are second on goal difference.

Pirates are not playing in the league this weekend because they are travelling to Mauritius for their CAF Champions League first preliminary-round fixture on Sunday. That gives Sundowns the opportunity to take control of the title race, at least temporarily, by beating Golden Arrows.

The sides met last week in the second leg of the MTN8 semi-final, when Sundowns secured a 3-2 victory. They will now attempt to defeat Abafana Bes’thende for a second successive time.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes his side must learn from the problems they encountered in that previous meeting, despite progressing with a win.

“There were things that happened throughout the match that we need to understand so we can plan how to approach the fixture.

“Now we need to rest the players. They are very tired and Arrows didn’t play during the week. So, we need freshness, we need capacity and we need another beautiful, competitive match.”

Sundowns also come into the fixture after beating Milford 2-0 in Pretoria on Wednesday. That result moved them level with Orlando Pirates on the league table.

The demands on both clubs are expected to increase as the CAF Champions League gets under way. Cardoso says the competition will place an even heavier workload on the leading teams, particularly once the tournament reaches the group stages.

“Both teams [Sundowns and Pirates] will have to play a lot during the week, by playing Champions League matches and the group stages.”

The Portuguese coach also believes Kaizer Chiefs could challenge both Sundowns and Pirates for the Betway Premiership title this season.

Cardoso has been monitoring Kaizer Chiefs since the appointment of Fernando da Cruz and expects the club to remain involved in the race as the campaign develops.

“We will see what’s going to happen with the stress and the pressure. In the Champions League you have to play the best, otherwise you don’t win.

“It might be too early but there will probably be a high level of competition between the three teams, because Kaizer Chiefs will be there for sure.”

The immediate focus, however, is on Sunday’s meeting in Durban, where Sundowns can use Pirates’ absence from domestic action to establish a three-point advantage at the summit. Golden Arrows will be seeking to respond after last week’s cup defeat, while Sundowns aim to turn their recent victory into consecutive wins over their opponents.