It is MTN 8 Cup time as the South African Premier League season kicks off with the competition’s four quarter-finals this weekend.
This is a single-leg, straight-knockout competition, with the top eight teams from last season’s Betway Premiership battling to add the season’s first silverware to their cupboards.
The teams are seeded based on their league position at the end of last season. On Saturday, the No. 2-seeded Orlando Pirates face No. 7 seed Polokwane City, and, in what should theoretically be the closest match, No. 4 seed Sekhukhune United faces No. 5 seed TS Galaxy.
A notable team not in the competition is the Kaizer Chiefs, who finished ninth in the Premier League last term.
Orlando Pirates VS Polokwane City
Saturday, 2 August – Orlando Stadium Johannesburg
The Buccaneers’ tournament opening match will see them take on Polokwane City in Johannesburg. One of the fun aspects of this comp is that it is the first time fans will get to see new signings in action in a meaningful match. The Pirates have added players like winger Oswin Appollis and Sipho Mbule to their squad since the end of last season.
Appollis is particularly interesting in this case, with the 23-year-old having joined the Pirates after a couple of years at Saturday’s opponents. The South African international scored six goals in 29 appearances for Rise and Shine.
Polokwane City are massive outsiders here, and it is hard to look past the Pirates. A preseason tour of Spain has them ready to go, and they have outstanding recent form in this competition. They are looking to win the MTN 8 Cup for the fourth consecutive time.
Sekhukhune United VS TS Galaxy
Saturday, 2 August – Pter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Eventually, it has to align for Sekhukhune United to win a trophy. Back-to-back fourth-place finishes are excellent work, while their 2022-23 Nedbank Cup final defeat to the Buccaneers is still felt in Polokwane.
They have a coach in place, Eric Tinkler, who has previously been in this comp. He led SuperSport United to the trophy during the 2017-18 season, and he will be looking to work his magic again here with a squad full of hungry and talented players.
As long as he has him in the squad, Tinkler must get the most out of Keletso Makgalwa. Kaizer Chiefs are known to be one of the admirers of the winger, who was shortlisted for the PSL Player of the Season last campaign.
TS Galaxy is a team with its own story of spirit and upsetting the odds. Their 2018 Nedbank Cup win as a second division team was nothing short of sensational, and their rise to this level in the 10 years since they were founded has been astonishing.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but their fifth-place finish last season was their highest-ever league finish. The Rockets keep progressing even in the midst of a FIFA-imposed transfer ban, but it feels like their inability to recruit will come back to hurt them. That starts here, as Sekhukhune United win by a couple of goals.
