Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, who posted a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Ma-Indies Ladies in their second game of the season, will be looking to continue their winning streak as they square off against First Touch in the third round of the Hollywoodbets Super League.
The hard-fought victory two weeks ago saw Banyana Ba Style maintain their perfect start to the season, a feat only the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Ladies have matched so far.
Andile Dlamini, Karabo Dhlamini, Bambanani Mbane, Melinda Kgadiete, Tiisetso Makhubela and Lelona Daweti, who recently participated in the Turkish Women’s Cup for Banyana Banyana, are expected to feature in Sunday’s game.
The South African women’s national team played two matches in Turkey, winning their opening encounter of the Women’s Cup 3-0 against Uzbekistan and drawing the concluding match 1-1 with Slovenia. As a result, the Sasol-sponsored African champions were officially crowned as the Group A winners of the Turkish Women’s Cup.
Coach Jerry ‘Kappa’ Tshabalala will be hoping that the return of these seven players provides a much-needed boost for his team ahead of Sunday’s match.
In recent times, the Brazilians have faced off against First Touch Academy with great success. In last season’s away match, Miche Minnies scored all four goals in the 4-0 thrashing of the Limpopo outfit. Banyana Ba Style continued their dominance in the return fixture with an 8-0 victory, courtesy of a hat-trick from Lelona Daweti, a brace from Boitumelo Rabale, and additional goals from Melinda Kgadiete, Miche Minnies, and Andisiwe Mgcoyi.
Despite those impressive results, Andisiwe believes that First Touch are not to be underestimated, “We anticipate a tough challenge because they are known for deploying a low block when defending. To overcome their formidable resistance, we will need to be creative in our approach. Despite being unbeaten this season, we reckon that they will present us with a stern test on Sunday. However, we are confident in our preparation and fully ready for the challenge ahead.”
Sundowns Ladies head into Sunday’s match with some exciting off-the-pitch developments. Andile Dlamini was recently named Sports Personality of the Year at the Gauteng Sports Awards for her spectacular performances both at the club and country level.
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns received a Recognition of Excellence award for the club’s role in celebrating excellence and inspiring youth across South Africa.
Going into Sunday’s match, First Touch is currently in 10th place on the league table with two points, having drawn their first two games against TUT FC and Royal AM 0-0.
The match between Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and First Touch will take place on Sunday, February 26th, at the University of Limpopo Stadium. The kick-off time for the match is 11h30 and will be televised on SABC Sport.
