Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC are both looking to return to winning ways when they face off in the DStv Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Sundowns were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw against Sekhukhune United, with Linda Mntambo cancelling out Peter Shalulile’s opening goal.
Stellies came from a goal down to walk away with a point following their 1-1 draw against Western Cape rivals Cape Town City.
Stellies arrive in the capital with six points from four matches while the hosts have seven points after a slow start.
Stellenbosch managed to get the upper hand over Sundowns last season after they earned a point in the first leg at home but were hit by a 3-0 loss at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in the return leg.
“On this one I would say there’s been inconsistency in terms of the results, but in terms of the performance I really believe the team performed very well today and they deserve to win the match,” Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi said on the draw.
“It’s not even an issue of catching up, we are following our process [and] drawing a match like this will obviously mean we have dropped two points.
“We created enough opportunities to win the match but it’s still the first five matches of the season, we are still building the conditioning side of the players to make sure that they are ready for the grueling part of the season, the first five matches of the season will never really tell you much.”
Sundowns have no injuries to worry about while Steve Barker will continue to be without winger Juan Carlos Ortíz. Defender Lasse Sobiech is also a concern.
Peter Shaluile will look to continue his rich vein of form for Sundowns, having scored three goals in his last four matches following his opening goal against Sekhukhune United in his previous match.
Júnior Mendieta, meanwhile, has been one of Stellies’ standout performers so far this campaign as he has managed to contribute to four goals, with two goals and two assists in his last four appearances.
Mamelodi Sundowns For This Season:
WLWD
Stellenbosch FC Form This Season:
DDWD