Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs face up for a repeat of their recent pulsating Nedbank Cup clash in a Premier Soccer League game at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday afternoon.
While it might not be of great significance in the PSL championship race — even though the two teams have each annexed the league title twice in the past four seasons — the match-up is certain to be the big crowd-puller of the weekend.
Memories, to be sure, are still vivid of the titanic battle between the clubs in the Nedbank Cup when Sundowns barely made off with the spoils in a penalty shoot-out.
And, apart from both glamour clubs jealously pursuing boasting rights over the other, this encore encounter is vitally important in their quest to qualify for next season’s Top Eight competition.
Chiefs have squeezed into eighth position in the log, with Sundowns a couple of places back, but with a game in hand. Quite clearly, neither side can afford to slip up at this stage in what amounts to a six-pointer in view of the significance of Top Eight qualification.
Both Sundowns and Chiefs seem over their disturbing dip in form earlier in the season and will be close to full-strength, with only the Brazilians’ injured goalkeeper Calvin Marlin a notable absentee — but ex-Chiefs goalkeeper Brian Baloyi is a more-than-adequate replacement against his former club.
Meanwhile, main PSL championship contenders SuperSport United and Ajax Cape Town have tricky away games that could have some bearing on the destination of the PSL title.
Log leaders SuperSport face Orlando Pirates at the Johannesburg Stadium on Saturday night, while Ajax, a mere point behind and with a game in hand, are up against Moroka Swallows at Germiston Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
There is a whole host of clubs waiting for the main contenders to falter — and in an unpredictable PSL environment, anything seems possible.
Two teams who are experiencing troubled times, Bloemfontein Celtic and bottom-of-the-log Black Leopards, face each other at Seisa Ramabodu Stadium, while AmaZulu will be out to continue their surge against Platinum Stars at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban in another PSL game on Sunday. — Sapa