The long-awaited Motsepe Foundation Championship League match between Venda Football Academy (VFA) and Magesi FC will be played at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Friday afternoon.
A quick look at the recent track records of the two teams shows that Magesi will be lucky if they manage to go back to Polokwane with a point in hand. VFA are still to lose a match this year. They managed to collect eight points in the four league matches they have played this year.
VFA opened the new year with a 1-1 draw against Black Leopards. They again shared the spoils with Uthongathi FC, following their 1-1 draw at the Thohoyandou Stadium two weeks ago. That was followed by an away 1-0 victory over Platinum City Rovers and a 2-1 win over Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) at the Thohoyandou Stadium last Friday.
Magezi, on the other hand, could register only one victory this year. Their only win was against MM Platinum FC, whom they had beaten 2-0 in their opening fixture for the new year.
VFA are lying in the 11th position on the log standings with 18 points, while Magesi are perched in the 10th spot with 19 points. Should they manage to beat Magesi on Friday, VFA are likely to move three steps up on the log.
VFA's captain, Nhlanhla Makhubele, will be available for selection on Friday. Makhubele was out of action in the team's previous games after seeing red in their game against Uthongathi FC. The strikers of VFA, Rhulani Manzini, Sedzani Mudau and former Black Leopards sharpshooter Maboke Matlakala, are poised to cause havoc for the defence of Magesi.