Four PSL matches on Saturday's fare
Four PSL matches on Saturday's fare
Posted: 2010-08-27 14:45
Saturday's League action sees reigning champions SuperSport United begin the defence of their title against Bidvest Wits at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg.
Kick-off is at 15h00.
Three other matches, Free State Stars v Santos (15h00), Kaizer Chiefs v Golden Arrows and Mamelodi Sundowns v Moroka Swallows (20h15) will also be played.
The Students tie against SuperSport was initially slated for the Bidvest Stadium but ongoing construction at the venue saw it shifted to Dobsonville Stadium, and now to Coca-Cola Park.
The Clever Boys finished tenth in last season's League, racking up 35 points from their 30 league matches.
SuperSport won the 2009/10 League title, collecting 57 points from their 30 matches to beat nearest rivals Mamelodi Sundowns across the line by one point.
Matsatsantsa got their 2010/11 season off to a disappointing start when they were knocked out of the MTN8 by Moroka Swallows. Their quarter-final ended 2-2 before the Birds won on penalties.
In head-to-head stats, SuperSport have dominated against Wits.
In 36 league meetings since 1990, the Pretoria team have won 12 matches to Wits' nine and outscored them 35 goals to 28.
Last season, however, the honours were shared between the teams as they took three points off one another by each winning their away games 2-1.
Free State Stars and Santos will get their League seasons underway when they meet at the Botshabelo Stadium.
This match was initially set for Charles Mopeli Stadium but Stars requested a move to Botshabelo for financial reasons and will use the venue for their first two home games until the pitch at their preferred home ground, Goble Park, is up to PSL standard.
Ea Lla Koto had a difficult season in 2009/10 and finished 13th on the log – this in comparison to the top five finishes they managed in 2007/08 and 2008/09.
Stars have a new coach in the shape of Sunday Chidzambwa, a Zimbabwean who has managed his national team and Harare club Dynamos prior to taking up the job with Stars.
Santos gave a good account of themselves last term and finished in fourth place on the League table with 47 points, ten adrift of champions SuperSport United.
The People's Team got their 2010/11 season off to a losing start as they went down 2-1 at the hands of Orlando Pirates in their MTN8 quarter-final at Orlando Stadium last weekend.
In head-to-head stats, Stars have a slight edge over Santos after winning seven games to the Cape side's six in their 23 league encounters since 1991.
Kaizer Chiefs will look to get their League campaign off to a winning start for the first time in three years when they host Golden Arrows at the Rand Stadium.
Chiefs last won their opening league fixture in the 2007/08 season, beating Thanda Royal Zulu 2-0. In 2008/09 and 2009/10 they lost 2-1 to Thanda and drew 0-0 with Santos respectively.
The Amakhosi finished third in last season's League, amassing 51 points to finish six points behind champions SuperSport United. Had Chiefs had a better start to the league season (they took just one point from their first three games), they may well have been able to win the title.
The Soweto giants got their 2010/11 season off to a winning start when Knowledge Musona's goal handed them a 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in the MTN8 quarter-final played at Rand Stadium last weekend.
Arrows, although they won the MTN8 last season, finished in a disappointing 12th place after picking up just 32 points in their 30 matches.
Abafana Bes'thende have a new coach in the shape of Zoran Filipovic, a former Yugoslavian international striker who has a good track record in his managerial career that included a spell with the Montenegro national team between 2007 and 2010.
Sundowns and Swallows will also be in action at the same time they meet at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville.
The match was originally scheduled for Sundowns' preferred home ground of HM Pitje Stadium but the venue is not yet ready for PSL football. Hence, Downs will use the Super Stadium in the meantime.
Sundowns started off their 2010/11 season on a disappointing note as they were defeated by Ajax Cape Town in their MTN8 quarter-final last weekend. The match ended 1-1 after extra time before Ajax won the penalty shootout.
Swallows, in contrast, dumped League champions SuperSport United out of the MTN8 when they defeated them in a penalty shootout. Their quarter-final ended 2-2 after extra time.
In head-to-head stats, Sundowns have traditionally had the better of Swallows, winning 24 games to the Soweto side's 11 in 50 league meetings since 1985.
However, the Brazilians have not beaten the Birds in a home game since the second half of the 2006/07 season when a Surprise Moriri goal handed them a 1-0 win.
Last season, Downs beat Swallows 1-0 in Soweto in the first half of the campaign and the return game in Tshwane ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
: 2010-08-29 11:42
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