In what has been a familiar fixture in South African football in recent times, Polokwane City and Cape Town Spurs will meet for the first time in the DStv Premiership this Saturday, with the game set to take place at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 3pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
Polokwane City and Spurs have been familiar foes over the course of the last couple of years, particularly during the 22/23 campaign where they challenged for the Motsepe Foundation Championship crown.
While Rise and Shine earned automatic promotion on the final day of last season, Spurs were the eventual winners of the PSL promotion playoffs.
That said, Polokwane City go into the tie on the back of a morale boosting 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC last week.
Reflecting on his team’s performance, City co-coach Lehlohonolo Seema lauded his players for getting their first victory in the 23/24 DStv Premiership.
“Credit must go to the boys, I think they have worked very hard. And it showed last week that these guys, despite a lot of people not giving them a chance are ready to put a fight,” Seema said.
“And credit must go to the chairman because he believes in these guys. While everybody bolstered their team the chairman continued with the players that got the team promoted."
Polokwane City vs Cape Town Spurs
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) August 17, 2023
Peter Mokaba Stadium 🏟️
Saturday, 19 August - 15:00pm 🕒#CAPETOWNSPURS#URBANWARRIORS#PSL#DSTVPREMIERSHIP#OURYOUTHOURFUTURE#CAPETOWN#SOUTHAFRICA pic.twitter.com/HYIH76ZXXX
Spurs, on the other hand, recorded back-to-back losses in their first two games back in the PSL.
After a 1-0 defeat to TS Galaxy in their opening fixture, the Urban Warriors then suffered a 2-0 home loss to Sekhukhune United thereafter.
In the head-to-head battle, Rise and Shine got the better of Spurs in their last five fixtures in South Africa’s first division, claiming two wins over the Urban Warriors, compared to just the single victory by the Western Cape outfit (two draws).
Speaking about Spurs’ progression in the last couple of games, Spurs captain Clayton Daniels urged his side to minimise their mistakes going forward.
“In the first two games, we gave a really good account, but also we made a couple of mistakes that cost us the games,” Daniels said.
“We are still learning, there are still a lot of new players in the league, so sometimes we have to pay the school fees.
“But we are learning. We are growing. We can’t compare last season with this one. It’s all a different ball game. If you make a certain mistake, you get punished and maybe in the previous campaign you could get away with it.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Polokwane City:
Given Mashikinya: The former Sekhukhune United man could be in for a busy night in the middle of the park, given Spurs’ possession-based approach to the game. Mashikinya will be tasked to break the passing rhythms set by the likes of Morne Nel and Jarrod Moroole, while initiating attacks from deeper positions on the pitch.
Cape Town Spurs:
Ashley Cupido: Yet to fully hit his goal-scoring stride this season, Spurs will no doubt rely on Cupido to come up with the end product in the final third. The adventurous attacker has the ability to beat defenders with pace, while his box IQ has often served the Urban Warriors well in the past in terms of scoring important goals.