Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker: Cape Town City will be fighting for their lives in PSL derby

It was only two seasons ago that Cape Town City were the toast of the town. 

They had finished runners-up to champions Mamelodi Sundowns, and were heading into Africa to dine with the elite of the continent in the CAF Champions League for the first time. 

It was the realisation of a dream their charismatic owner John Comitis had when he resurrected the once iconic Cape football club back in 2016. 

Those heady days are now a distant memory, though, with City’s entire future hanging on the edge of a cliff heading into the final game of the 2024/25 season against high-flying neighbours Stellenbosch FC at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (3pm kickoff). 

City are effectively in last place, with only the insolvent Royal AM below them, on the Premiership ladder, with a defeat to Stellies condemning the Citizens to the lottery of the relegation playoffs. 

Even a win over Stellenbosch could still see City contest the playoffs should SuperSport United, who are level on 26 points but with a superior goal difference, beat Richards Bay and Golden Arrows emerge victorious against former City coach Eric Tinkler’s Sekhukhune United. 

The stakes in the Western Cape derby are therefore so much more than just bragging rights this time around, with the City’s PSL status on the line. 

Meanwhile, in the maroon corner, Stellenbosch are in dreamland after finishing runners-up in the MTN8 and enjoying a maiden CAF Confederation Cup run all the way to the semi-finals, which included a victory over Egyptian giants Zamalek in the quarter-finals in Cairo.

Crucially, Stellies have not allowed their Premiership form to falter and currently occupy third position.

However, Steve Barker’s men need to claim all three points if they are to be ensured of an African adventure again next season due to Sekhukhune United breathing down their necks just a point behind in fourth place. 

“Yes, when the fixture list came out right at the beginning of the season, seeing that we’re playing City on the last day of the season, I always anticipated it would be a great way to end the season, a massive derby between the two clubs,” Barker said. 

“Obviously, as it has panned out over the season, it’s a very, very key game for both clubs, obviously for different reasons.

“Obviously, I think they’re fighting for their lives and therefore it doesn’t make the game at all any easier.

“In fact, I believe it makes it difficult because obviously they’ll be fighting for survival and it does become tricky.

“But it’s important that we also focus on what we need to achieve, and keep our commitment as high as it can be until the last kick of the ball in the last game.

“We want to win derbies, and also, we want to be finishing in that third position to go into Africa again.

“We’ve laid a great foundation over the season, and put ourselves in a good position to achieve that. 

“So, it’s important for us to make sure that we apply ourselves one more game and put in every effort that we can to ensure that we can secure that third position,” he added.

Stellenbosch were comprehensive 3-0 victors the last time the two Cape sides met at Athlone Stadium back in September, when newly-crowned Footballer of the Season, Fawaaz Basadien, scored a wonder goal from well within his own half. 

Barker’s men are also unbeaten in their last eight league derby encounters with City, placing even more pressure on the home side in this do-or-die clash for the Citizens.