The GladAfrica Championship season returns to action this weekend after a hiatus of almost two weeks due to the last 16 round of the Nedbank Cup. The season resumes with majority of the teams starting the second round and eyes will be on log-leaders Richards Bay. Richards Bay have not only been impressive in the league but also in the Nedbank Cup where they have qualified for the quarter-final stage together with Cape Town All Stars and Pretoria Callies. Richards Bay will be looking to stretch their lead at the top of the log when they take on struggling Bizana Pondo Chiefs on Saturday. On the other hand, second-placed Sekhukhune United have shown their seriousness of going all the way this campaign by boosting their technical team with the appointment of Selaotse “Sly” Mosala as assistant coach to MacDonald Makhubedu.
Cape United vs Uthongathi
Friday, 05 March 2021
· Cape United – 1.59
· Uthongathi – 2.03
· Draw – 1.88
A meeting of two teams that are currently struggling in the league having both failed to register win during the past five matches. Uthongathi go into this crucial match on the back of three successive draws with Pretoria Callies, Richards Bay and Cape Town All Stars and this has left them sitting 8th spot on the log. On the other hand, Uthongathi have fared even worse as their last three matches includes two losses and one draw and this poor form seen them drop to eleventh on the spot and a mountain to climb to revive their campaign.
Bizana Pondo Chiefs vs Richards Bay
Saturday, 06 March 2021
· Pondo Chiefs – 5.67
· Richards Bay – 0.54
· Draw – 2.84
Log-leaders Richards Bay are overwhelming favourites to register their fifth win in six matches when they visit bottom of the log Bizana Chiefs and extend their lead at the top of the standings. A win for Richards Bay will see them open up a six-point lead at the top of the log over second-placed Sekhukhune United who only return to action on Sunday. For Pondo Chiefs, a third successive defeat will plunge them deeper into relegation zone and minimize their chances of surviving the dreaded chop back to the lower divisions at the end of the season.
Polokwane City vs Pretoria University
Saturday, 06 March 2021
· Polokwane – 1.53
· PTA University – 2.03
· Draw – 1.97
This match has the potential to be exciting but the respective coaches might decide to be cautious because they can’t afford to drop points at this stage of the campaign. Polokwane go into match on the back of three draws and a win in their last four matches and they will be slight favourites to walk away with all the three points at home in Polokwane. University of Pretoria on the other have not fared too badly in recent weeks and their last match was a win over Cape Town Spurs that was preceded by a draw with Steenberg United.
Jomo Cosmos vs TS Sporting
Saturday, 06 March 2021
· Cosmos – 1.44
· TS Sporting – 2.08
· Draw – 2.03
After a good start to the season, Jomo Cosmos have somehow lost their way in recent weeks with three losses and a draw over the last four matches to drop to seventh spot on the log. They are up against unpredictable TS Sporting who have blown hot and cold all season long. It will be a mistake for Cosmos players to go into this match with complacency because TS Sporting have the ability to rise to the occasion despite their inconsistency. It is a match that can go either way but Cosmos will be slight favourites to get a positive result.
JDR Stars vs Cape Town All Stars
Saturday, 06 March 2021
· JDR – 0.92
· CT All Stars – 2.98
· Draw – 2.34
JDR Stars is another team that has somewhat lost momentum over the past few weeks with two successive draws. Losing four points in their last two matches has seen them lose touch with log-leaders Richards Bay but they still remain one of the favourites for automatic promotion. They will strongly fancy their chances against CT All Stars who drew their last match. CT All Stars are going to make things difficult for JDR as they have ambitions of their own and are desparate for three points that will force them into the top eight.
Cape Town Spurs vs Steenberg United
Sunday, 07 March 2021
· Spurs – 1.66
· Steenberg – 1.91
· Draw – 1.91
This is the battle of the strugglers. Second from the bottom Spurs will host third from the bottom Steenberg with both teams desparate for maximum points to boost their survival chances. Spurs will be slight favourites because they are enjoying home ground advantage at the Cape Town Stadium. They go into this clash having both lost their last matches and whoever losses will drop to the bottom of the log is Bizana Pondo Chiefs cause an upset and beat top of the log Richards Bay.
Pretoria Callies vs Royal AM
Sunday, 07 March 2021
· Callies – 1.25
· Royal – 2.45
· Draw – 2.03
This is possibly the match of this round of matches because it is against two teams that have been in top form recently in the GladAfrica Championship. Under coach Floyd Mogale, Royal AM have turned their season around and they are now counted among favourites for the play-offs as they are only three points away from table toppers Richards Bay. The same goes for Pretoria Callies who are currently among favourites to qualify for the play-offs and are coached by the vastly experienced Sammy Troughton.
Sekhukhune United vs Free State Stars
Sunday, 07 March 2021
· Sekhukhune – 1.22
· FS Stars – 2.38
· Draw – 2.18
This is another match to look out for this weekend with hugely improved Free State Stars making the trip to Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa to meet second-placed Sekhukhune United. High on the agenda of Sekhukhune will be three points that will remain within touching distance of Richards Bay at the top of the log. For FS Stars, they are coming to Gauteng also in search of three points that will see them move into the play-off spots.
