Teams campaigning under the banner of the Motsepe Foundation Championship will play their penultimate league fixtures of the current season this Sunday. As part of efforts to curb match-fixing, the league has ruled that the final two rounds of fixtures must be played on the same day and at the same time.
A crucial match between Venda Football Club (VFC) and Casric Stars will take place at Thohoyandou Stadium. The game is expected to keep spectators on the edge of their seats for several reasons. Casric Stars are chasing a place in the promotional playoffs after their 2-1 victory over Black Leopards at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in Siyabuswa last Saturday. Anything less than a win on Sunday could jeopardise their chances if other playoff contenders win their matches.
The head coach of Stars, Bucs Mthombeni, has issued a stern warning to VFC. He said they were heading to Thohoyandou with a single goal in mind: to beat VFC and boost their hopes of reaching the playoffs. He acknowledged that VFC are fighting for survival and that defeating them would not be easy.
VFC head coach Stanford Nkoane has vowed to crush Casric Stars' promotion hopes. He added that his side was doing everything possible to avoid relegation.
Breaking through VFC's defence - marshalled by Nhlanhla Makhubele, Bongolwethu Siyasi and Tshovelo Mathebula - will not be an easy task for the Stars' forwards. A glance at the head-to-head record between the two sides shows Casric Stars have a slight advantage. They have won two of the five encounters, while VFC have won one. The remaining two matches ended in draws.