A battle between Western Cape rivals Stellenbosch FC and Cape Town City will headline the weekend’s DStv Premiership action.
Stellies and the Citizens – who have had some heated battles down the years – will meet at the Danie Craven Stadium on Friday night, and the teams’ current form suggests that supporters will be in for an early festive season treat.
Stellenbosch have put together an eight-game unbeaten run (seven wins, one draw) across all competitions and are on a huge high after last weekend’s 3-0 away win over Richards Bay which secured them a berth in the upcoming Carling Knockout final.
City, meanwhile, have won six successive league matches (a club record) and seem to have established themselves as the ‘best of the rest’ behind the dominant Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We’ve got a Cape derby against Stellenbosch coming up on Friday,” said City coach Eric Tinkler.
“Our record against them hasn’t been that brilliant over the past couple of seasons [City have not beaten Stellenbosch since December 2020]. Obviously we are looking to change that.
“We are coming off the back of some very, very good wins and good performances but they themselves have their tails up. They managed to get into the Carling Knockout final. Derbies are never easy but we head into this game with belief and confidence that we can win.”
Saturday sees Soweto heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in action against Polokwane City (away) and TS Galaxy (home) respectively.
The Amakhosi have tended to take one step forward and then two back this season, and will be hoping to break that trend against a Polokwane team which has failed to win any of their last five outings across all competitions.
Pirates, meanwhile, will be chasing a fourth win in five league matches and looking to build on a midweek triumph against Moroka Swallows – though coach Jose Riveiro believes they still have “things to correct”.
Saturday also features Chippa United hosting Golden Arrows – two teams desperate for a change in form – while Sunday’s lone match is a KwaZulu-Natal derby pitting Royal AM against Richards Bay at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
DStv Premiership weekend fixtures
Times CAT
Friday 8 December
19:30: Stellenbosch FC v Cape Town City
Saturday 9 December
15:30: Polokwane City v Kaizer Chiefs
17:45: Chippa United v Golden Arrows
20:00: Orlando Pirates v TS Galaxy
Sunday 10 December
15:30: Royal AM v Richards Bay