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2022/23 DStv Premiership
Matchday 27
29-30 April 2023
Orlando Pirates have an opportunity to reclaim second place in the
DStv Premiership, while Sekhukhune United and Stellenbosch will look to strengthen their positions in the top-eight.
The weekend's action gets underway on Saturday afternoon when Royal AM welcome Cape Town City to the Chatsworth Stadium.
Thwihli Thwahla will attempt to climb back into the top half of the table after a 1-1 draw with TS Galaxy last Saturday pushed them down to ninth spot. It was their second game without defeat following a 3-1 victory over Stellenbosch earlier this month.
The Citizens looked on course for a top-three finish but a 2-1 loss to Orlando Pirates last Saturday extended their winless run to four matches and left them six points behind Kaizer Chiefs (4th) in fifth place.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch will be targeting back-to-back league wins for only the third time this season when they host Golden Arrows at the Danie Craven Stadium.
The Maroons won three games on the spin earlier this year to arrest a worrying nine-match winless streak which had pushed them perilously close to the relegation zone. However, Stellies moved up to seventh position with a 3-0 triumph over Swallows last Saturday as they bounced back from consecutive defeats to Kaizer Chiefs and Royal AM.
Abafana Bes'thende have finally found some consistency after a 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns on April 12 saw them go four games unbeaten in the league. Arrows currently sit eighth in the standings, tied on 33 points with Stellenbosch (7th) and Royal AM (9th).
Elsewhere, Sekhukhune United will look to keep the momentum going when face AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the late kick-off.
Babina Noko (6th) went level on 35 points with City after beating Chiefs 1-0 last Sunday to make it back-to-back wins and extend their unbeaten run to four matches.
Sekhukhune head coach Brandon Truter is concerned that fatigue might set in as they chase a top-eight finish, while also hoping to go all the way in the Nedbank Cup, with Stellenbosch their semi-final opponents.
"We've got so much to play for... the top eight and the Nedbank Cup," Truter said. "There's a concern from the technical team, myself included, in terms of the amount of fatigue.
"Next month is hectic, we have AmaZulu and then midweek, Galaxy and then the cup game against Stellies in Cape Town, so it is going to be absolutely hectic for us."
Usuthu's troubles continued with a 2-1 defeat to SuperSport United on the same day which left them without a win in their last four outings down in 12th spot, just three points clear of Chippa United (15th).
Then on Sunday, Orlando Pirates will continue their top-two challenge when they lock horns with TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium.
The Buccaneers are the in-form team in the league at the moment after winning their last five games on the trot to rival Matsatsantsa for the final CAF Champions League spot, trailing them by just one point in third place.
Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has welcomed the challenge of still having something to play for in the final month of the season as they look primed for a return to the CAF Champions League.
"The challenge is nice," Riveiro said. "I want to find myself in this moment of the season fighting for important things with the possibility of getting more titles for this club. We embrace the moment and we want to stay in this moment as much as possible.
"We cannot guarantee we're going to get the result every week, but it's a fact and it's clear that we're going to fight until the end to get what we want."
The Rockets' form has dipped in April after the draw with Thwihli Thwahla most recently left them without a win in their last three matches, having suffered back-to-back defeats against Maritzburg United and SuperSport prior to that.
DStv Premiership matchday 27 fixtures:
Saturday, April 29
15h00: Royal AM v Cape Town City
17h30: Stellenbosch v Golden Arrows
20h00: AmaZulu v Sekhukhune United
Sunday, April 30
15h00: TS Galaxy v Orlando Pirates
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