The stand-out fixture of the eighth round of the Hollywoodbets Super League will see Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies square off against Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies FC at the Groenkloof Tuks Stadium on Wednesday.
The Brazilians head into this tasty clash in fine form, with six wins registered out of seven games played, and are top of the league standings. Banyana Ba Style has scored a league-high 36 goals, and have conceded just five times, boasting a mammoth goal difference of +31.
On the goal-scoring front, Andisiwe Mgcoyi leads the Sundowns’ chart with nine strikes, Boitumelo Rabale has bagged eight goals while Miche Minnies has netted four times. Rhoda Mulaudzi and Nonhlanhla Mthandi have both scored three and two goals respectively.
Their opponents on the other hand are in superb form, having won four games out of seven played and are currently placed third on the log with 15 points. Most importantly, Celtics alongside JVW FC (Sundowns’ next opponent on Saturday) are the only two teams yet to suffer a defeat this season.
Coach Tshabalala is confident about his team’s chances ahead of the crunch fixtures starting with the mid-week game against the Celtics.
“I will always maintain my policy of taking each game as they come. It is a big week for us as we are up against two of the most in-form sides in the league. We have seen some of the Celtics’ games, particularly the draws against TUT FC and UWC. Thus, we are aware of the threats they possess. They have a very formidable and commanding defense line which means we have to be inventive in the way we approach the game. It will be a highly tactical affair and we are ready to showcase our creativity and goal-scoring attributes yet again,” Kappa stated.
The continental champions enjoyed a routine victory in this fixture last season with 2-0 victories in both the home and away fixtures. Despite those recent dominant showings, Kappa is not getting carried away.
“Celtics has changed a lot from the way they played last season. They have become more difficult to beat and to remain unbeaten after seven games this season means they are doing things the right way. We have to be prepared for them mentally, physically, tactically, and technically. Although we are missing a couple of key players such as Chuene Morifi and Tiisetso ‘Bastos’ Makhubela, we still have a very solid squad depth. We are ready for the clash and it’s going to be an exciting one,” Kappa concluded.
The heavyweight clash between Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and Bloemfontein Celtic will take place on Wednesday, 1 June 2022, at the Groenkloof Tuks Stadium. The kick-off time for the clash is 15h00.
