Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso insists there remains work to be done as they look to take a step closer to a record eighth straight Betway Premiership title at the Cape Town Stadium against Cape Town City on Saturday, May 3.
Kick-off is at 8pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
CURRENT FORM:
Bafana ba Style bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Orlando Pirates with a convincing 3-0 victory over Richards Bay on Wednesday to go 12 points clear at the top of the table.
The Buccaneers had given themselves hope of dethroning the Brazilians after coming out on top in their encounter on 16 March, but their title challenge suffered a damaging blow following the 1-0 loss to Sekhukhune United in midweek.
Masandawana have played two games more than Pirates, but Cardoso has urged his players not to drop the ball in their final five fixtures as all of their remaining opponents still have something to play for.
The Citizens are looking like real candidates for the promotion/relegation playoffs after picking up just 13 points out of a possible 48 since the turn of the year.
Muhsin Ertugral failed to steady the ship after Eric Tinkler was sacked on 31 December, which led to his departure on 17 March and Diogo Peral has given the task of steering City to safety.
Peral kicked off his tenure with a 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers SuperSport United, but back-to-back defeats against Babina Noko (2-1) and the Natal Rich Boyz (1-0) extended their winless run to 12 matches.
Matsatsantsa climbed out of the basement after they drew 1-1 with Polokwane City last weekend and Andre Arendse's side are now ahead of the Mother City outfit on goal difference with two games in hand.
WHAT WAS SAID:
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso
"Obviously, we depend on ourselves but there are still five games to play and things are not done because our opponents will not give up.
"We need to collect points, points and points. Obviously, if we enlarge the advantage, it gives us comfort, but that doesn't take anything from the way we should [fight].
"We still have five tough matches to play and the next one is away in Cape Town against Cape Town City FC. That's another team fighting and has its own objectives."
Cape Town City interim coach Diogo Peral
"Mentally, it's a tough place to be in. You have to try and work out where your next win is going to come from... It makes it difficult because sometimes we play well but we don't get the results, and the guys get discouraged and we have to lift them up again.
"We need to get a win somewhere; we need to win games to get out of this situation. For sure, the teams at the bottom with us are all performing, and they'll get their wins, so we also need to step up, otherwise we will be in trouble at the end of the season."
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Cape Town City - Jaedin Rhodes has really struggled to kick on this season after catching the eye in 2023-24 when he scored six goals in 29 appearances. The 22-year-old winger has failed to find the back of the net in 21 outings, although he came close to opening his account against the Natal Rich Boyz with a volley that was expertly saved by Ian Otieno.
Mamelodi Sundowns - Iqraam Rayners has proved to be an astute signing for Downs after he reached double figures for the season in the league with his goal against Richards Bay. A deft flick from Tashreeq Matthews' cross saw the 29-year-old striker score his first goal in five games, although he provided three assists during that barren patch and has had 18 goal involvements this term.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: (Last Five Betway Premiership Meetings)
Matches - 5
CT City wins - 1
Sundowns wins - 2
Draws - 2