Chippa United and Mamelodi Sundowns will be determined to return to winning ways when they face off at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday evening.
Chippa will come into this fixture on a three-game winless run in the league after a 3-2 defeat to Golden Arrows.
Sundowns were surprised 2-1 by Tshwane rivals SuperSport United on Friday evening.
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The Chilli Boys start rooted to the foot of the table with just five points from their first six matches, while Sundowns’ loss saw them drop down to sixth place with 10 points from six matches.
“There were areas that we were unhappy about that we had to try and resolve, [like] how we conceded the goals and also the fact that we did not take our chances,” Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi said.
“And we did not really keep the structure that we wanted to keep, more especially in the half spaces to try and exploit the outside of Siyabonga Nhlapho and [Thalente] Mbatha but we also knew very well that it’s a game that needed a little bit more in terms of aggression and a fight.
“In terms of our first cycle we fell off in terms of the number of points but we still [managed to get] 10 points in five matches and we still have 12 points to fight for in this cycle.
“In terms of the title defense I don’t think there’s so much that has happened that should suggest that we are off the rails or the title is going to be very, very difficult. it is always difficult to play SuperSport, it is always difficult to fight for the Championship in South Africa, it looks like it’s easy in the end but it’s never easy.”
When the two sides met in the DStv Premiership last season, Sundowns dominated Chippa by claiming four out of a possible six points after they played out to a goalless draw in the first leg at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium before they cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory in the return leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Mngqithi will be boosted by the fact that he has no injuries or suspensions to report, while under pressure Chippa boss Daine Klate will continue to be without the services of Jemondre Dickens, who is out with a knee injury .
Abubeker Nasir quickly adapted to life at Sundowns and began his spell like a house on fire, having already managed to score two goals in his last two league appearances for the Brazilians.
Ronald Pfumbidzai will be hoping to continue his current scoring form for the Chilli Boys after he managed to find the back of the net in his previous encounter against Golden Arrows over the weekend.
Chippa United’s DStv Premiership Form:
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Mamelodi Sundowns’ DStv Premiership Form:
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