Betway Premiership action continues this weekend and our focus is on Saturday's game between Sundowns and Richards Bay and Sunday's clash between Orlando Pirates and TS Galaxy
Sundowns 1 / 4 Draw 4/1 Richards Bay 14/1
Sundowns will be hurting after a suffering a rare defeat in midweek. Their 1-0 loss away to Golden Arrows on Wednesday was their first loss of the Betway Premiership campaign and although they remain in second spot, 2 points behind Sekhukhune, the league leaders have a game in hand. The chasers, including Kaizer Chiefs, TS Galaxy and Orlando Pirates can also close the gap when they play their catch up matches.
Sundowns were 3-1 winners against Durban City in their most recent home game and their overall record now comprises of 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat. They have kept clean sheets in 5 of 9 league outings but have conceded in each of the last 3. Aside from their loss to Arrows their other dropped points all came in away games, at Chippa (1-1), at Kazier Chiefs (0-0) and at Marumo Gallants (1-1).
Richards Bay are in mid table with a record of 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats. They started with 3 straight defeats and are now 5 games unbeaten. They won 1-0 at Stellenbosch last weekend and followed up with another 1-0 win at home to Magesi in midweek. Richards Bay have scored only 5 league goals all season but defensively, with only 5 conceded, they have been pretty solid.
Verdict
With just 1 league goal conceded in their last 5 Richards Bay will no doubt set up to frustrate a Sundowns side who have not been firing on all cylinders but this still looks a huge ask of the visitors.
I'm battling to find anything that really stands out and I could be wide of the mark here but I'll take my chances with Downs to bounce back and win both halves of football for a conservative stake.
Bet: Sundowns to win both halves? Yes at 17/10 with Betway
Orlando Pirates 11/20 Draw 26/10 TS Galaxy 58/10
This game is now being played on Tuesday 30th Sepember
Pirates continue to gain momentum and they have won their last 7 matches across all competitions which includes an extra time victory over Stellenbosch in the MTN8 Final. In terms of league results the Bucs lost their first 2 matches of the campaign but have since reeled off 4 straight wins, all with a clean sheet. They had to be patient before edging out Siwelele 1-0 away from home on Tuesday whilst prior to that they won 3-0 at Chippa and their two most home fixtures against Stellies and Orbit Collage both finished 1-0 in the Bucs favour. Pirates climbed up to fifth in the standings on the back of the midweek results and although they are 8 points behind league leaders Sekhukhune they have played 2 games fewer.
Likewise TS Galaxy have put a poor start behind them to take 13 points from the last 15 available. They are 1 position and 1 point better off than their opponents here although they have played one game more than the Bucs. They were 3-1 winners at home to Amazulu in midweek and their 3 most recent road trips delivered a 4-1 win at Chippa, 3-1 victory at Orbit Collage and a 1-1 draw at Richards Bay.
Verdict
Both sides are in good shape and the Bucs defence has been rock solid in recent weeks. However whilst I'm stopping well short of calling a surprise Galaxy have shown enough to suggest they can contribute to the scoring.
Bet: Both teams to score? Yes at 15/10 with Betway
Note, odds are subject to change