Uncertainty will move closer to reality for teams battling relegation this weekend.
It has not yet definite who will face the chop but this weekend will provide a much clearer picture for up to five teams. One between Maritzburg United, Jomo Cosmos, University of Pretoria, Polokwane City and Bloemfontein Celtic is certain to ply their trade in the National First Division next season. It could be two if the side that ends up in the play-offs doesn’t emerge victorious. So far bottom club Maritzburg look favourites to drop out of the top league, but nobody is safe. Maritzburg have 16 points while Cosmos, Tuks, Polokwane and Celtic are second, third, fourth and fifth from bottom with 20 points, 20 points, 23 points and 26 points respectively.
Of the five teams, Celtic and Polokwane boast great quality that can thrive in the elite league. Lack of consistency and a series of undesirable results have led to their downward spiral. The biggest factor for all the teams in relegation has been goals, conceding and not scoring enough. Maritzburg have let in a whooping 47 goals, Polokwane 39, Cosmos 33, Tuks 32 and Celtic 22.
It’s going to take some miracle for Maritzburg to shrug off the relegation. Their fixtures have not been kind recently. Tonight Maritzburg will face Mpumalanga Black Aces, who are fifth in the league and favourites to take the three points on offer. Their marksman Collins Mbesuma, who is currently the PSL's top scorer, seems to have rekindled his scoring flame. A lethal forward like Mbesuma against a suspect defence like Maritzburg's could create fireworks. On the other hand, Maritzburg have been scoring goals. They have scored more goals (28) than all the teams fighting for survival. They have the potential to cause an upset only if their defence pitches up for the match at the Harry Gwala Stadium tonight.
Cosmos also have a difficult task to get points against log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have hardly put a foot wrong this season while Cosmos have battled. They are the lowest scoring team in the league with just 16 goals. In Sundowns, they meet a team that hardly concedes goals. Cosmos are no strangers to relegation. They are used to fighting for their lives. Surprisingly Jomo Sono has not made efforts to bolster his team by acquiring players. Their quality has always been suspect and chances of them winning at the Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow evening are close to zilch.
A wonderful spectacle will be on show when Polokwane host Chippa United at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow night.
On Sunday, it will be direct relegation confrontation between Celtic and Tuks at the Dr Molemela. Tuks are a resurgent side under the tutelage of Shaun Bartlett. They will approach Celtic with much confidence after their recent 4-2 win over Maritzburg. Serame Letsoaka’s side has also managed four points in their last two matches.
In the first leg, Celtic edged out Tuks 2-0. Now that stakes are high and relegation is looming, a vicious battle is on the cards.
With just less than seven matches to go, there’s mad rush for points as it is survival of the fittest at the bottom. - The Star