Fresh off their first win of the Betway Premiership season, Stellenbosch will host a still impressive but disjointed Mamelodi Sundowns at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
For both teams, it is hardly any help that many of their league and cup fixtures in the first month of the season have been against several of the teams who usually compete with them at or near the top of the Premiership table.
Stellenbosch have already lost to Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in the Premiership and beat Sekhukhune United over two legs in the MTN8 semi-finals. Sundowns have lost over two legs to Pirates in the MTN8 semi-finals and more recently drew 0-0 to Kaizer Chiefs in the league.
Defending champions Sundowns are third in the Premiership with eight points from their first four games, but the pressure to constantly deliver silverware and Sundowns' relatively sluggish start to the season means this is a high-pressure game for head coach Miguel Cardoso.
Manqoba Mngqithi was fired in December last year despite Sundowns being top of the league at the time after their failure to win the MTN8 and Carling Knockout trophies. It is vital that Cardoso does not allow his team to fall too far behind in their league title defence after their MTN8 exit, and a convincing win over Stellies could set the tone for a revival.
Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker has earned the trust of his club over several years, and has now made the first step to turning the corner after a difficult start to the league season. Stellies picked up a 1-0 victory over Marumo Gallants on Tuesday.
This could be an opportunity to send a message to their rivals that the Maroons are truly back to their best in both the cup and the league.
Key details:
Date: Saturday, August 30 at 3:00 PM CAT (1:00 PM GMT, 9:00 AM ET)
Venue: Athlone Stadium
How to watch: The match is available on SuperSport.
Team news:
Sundowns have had to deal with residual fatigue from the FIFA Club World Cup. Since then, they have also faced player discontent with the likes of Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Khuliso Mudau and Kutlwano Letlhaku all unsettled amid interest from elsewhere.
With club captain Themba Zwane out injured, morale in the team does not appear to be at its highest point, but Cardoso still has a quality squad at his disposal with several options in most positions.
For Stellies and Barker, a key dilemma may be whether or not to start supersub Langelihle Phili, who added to his tally with the winning goal against Marumo Gallants in midweek.
Expected lineups:
Stellenbosch
LB Omega Mdaka | CB Henri Stanic | CB Thabo Moloisane | RB Enyinnaya Godswill
CM Thato Khiba | CM Mthetheleli Mthiyane
LW Langelihle Phili | AM André de Jong | RW Devin Titus
Mamelodi Sundowns
LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Keanu Cupido | CB Malibongwe Khoza | RB Thapelo Morena
CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena
LW Siyabonga Mabena | AM Jayden Adams | RW Arthur Sales
Stats
Stellenbosch's Langelihle Phili has scored four goals in 180 minutes for Stellenbosch at a rate of one per 45 minutes.
Sundowns' Peter Shalulile is level with Siyabonga Nomvethe's Premier Soccer League (PSL) era record of 129 goals including cup competitions, and could become the standalone record-holder if he scores for Sundowns.