Sekhukhune target upset as Sundowns look to prove more points

Sekkhukhune United head coach Lehlohonolo Seema will want to topple Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday night.

Sekkhukhune United head coach Lehlohonolo Seema will want to topple Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday night.

Published 5h ago

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AS MAMELODI SUNDOWNS look to stretch their lead atop the Betway Premiership table even further — so much so that chasing teams like Orlando Pirates lose hope of catching up — the team standing in their way tonight has motivation beyond just bagging three points.

Sekhukhune United are having a strong season, with Ba Bina Noko positioned high in third place on the league table, albeit a massive 17 points behind the defending champions, with both having played 18 matches. Victory at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight will allow Lehlohonolo Seema’s team to reduce that gap slightly and, more importantly, hang on to the CAF Confederation Cup spot.

As if that wasn’t motivation enough, there’s also the small matter of the fact that the other two Limpopo teams have already beaten the Brazilians this season, and Sekhukhune will surely not want to be left behind.

Polokwane City was the first team to take maximum points from the record Premiership champions, who are on the hunt for an eighth successive league title. Just two weeks ago, TS Galaxy became only the second side to win a league match against Sundowns.

But there was also success over Sundowns by another team from the province in the north of the country — rookies Magesi FC, who registered a shock 2-1 come-from-behind win in the Carling Knockout final.

It’s a team talk subject that could do wonders for Seema:

"Gents, we can’t be the only Limpopo team not to beat Sundowns this season. Polokwane and Magesi have shown us it can be done. Let’s go out there and do it!"

That should be his rallying cry tonight. And with Sekhukhune having won their last two matches and remaining unbeaten in the last three, surely Seema and his men have the momentum to walk onto the pitch with confidence.

Granted, Sundowns smashed them 3-0 in the first round back in November — Arthur Sales and Iqraam Rayners found the net in the second half after Tresor Yamba had scored an own goal midway through the first half.

However, Sekhukhune have grown since that match. While they’ve been somewhat inconsistent, their ability to stay in the top five — and now third — speaks volumes about their competitiveness.

They welcome a Sundowns side that does not have good memories of the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, where they came unstuck against Polokwane City, leaving coach Miguel Cardoso lamenting the state and size of the compact pitch.

Seema has no doubt watched that match and seen how City capitalized on the conditions, limiting Sundowns’ time and space on the ball — something they thrive on. Surely, he also noted how Magesi sucker-punched the Brazilians in the Carling Knockout final. The option of running at Sundowns non-stop, as TS Galaxy did a fortnight ago, is also there for the young coach to consider.

Which route will he opt for?

The reality, though, is that Sekhukhune will wear the underdog tag against a marauding Sundowns side that smashed Galaxy this past weekend — as if to send a warning to the rest of the league that their defeat in Mbombela was nothing more than a fluke.

Sundowns are pushing for their eighth successive league title, and with Pirates idle yet again, the champions will love nothing more than to stretch their lead to 15 points. A resounding win at Sekhukhune will also send a warning to their next opponents, Kaizer Chiefs, to expect no mercy this weekend.

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