Premier League releases second round fixtures

Mabuti Potloane (right) and Matlama will open the 2017
league action against Bantu on January 7

The Premier League has released the fixture list for the second round of the Vodacom Premier League season. The action will resume on January 7 with a mouth-watering clash between Matlama and Bantu at Setsoto Stadium.

The match, which will be Seephephe Matete’s first in charge of Tse Putsoa, was supposed to be played in September but was postponed because Setsoto was unavailable at the time.

Matlama v Bantu will officially end the first round of the season as it was the only leftover game.

The following week the second round will kick off with all 14 teams in action. Matlama will face another difficult test against fifth-placed LMPS on January 15 while in another interesting tie on the same day, two teams on impressive unbeaten runs will meet when Sundawana host Sky Battalion at the Maputsoe DiFA Stadium.

Sundawana have not lost since October 8, run of eight games. Sky Battalion, on the other hand, are unbeaten since October 15, a run of six games.

All eyes will be on the title race, however.

Bantu currently lead the table by a point ahead of Lioli and Kick4Life in what may turn out to be a three-horse race.

The sides are not scheduled to meet until March when Lioli will play Kick4Life on March 5 before facing Bantu the following weekend. Both matches will be at Setsoto. In an interesting outcome of the schedule, Bantu will meet Kick4Life on May 6 on the final day of the season perhaps with the title on the line.

Other notable dates are Linare against Bantu on February 18, Bantu versus Matlama on February 11 and Matlama against Lioli on April 22.

The fixture has also revealed the schedule for this season’s LNIG Top 8 competition. The tournament, featuring last season’s top eight, will start on the weekend of February 4 and 5 with the first legs of the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal second legs will be played on February 25 and 26.

The semi-finals and finals will then be held on April 8 and 9 at Setsoto Stadium. Lioli are the holders of the LNIG Top 8.

Vodacom Premier League Second Round:

JANUARY

Saturday 7th January 

Matlama v Bantu (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Saturday 14th January           

LCS v Linare (15:00, LCS)   

Liphakoe v Rovers (15:00, Quthing) 

Butha-Buthe Warriors v Kick4Life (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)        

Sunday 15th January

Sundawana v Sky Battalion (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Lioli v LDF (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

LMPS v Matlama (15:00, PTC)

Bantu v Likhopo (15:00, Mafeteng)

Nkoto Masoabi and Kick4Life will meet Lioli again on March 5...

Saturday 21st January

Linare v Lioli (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Kick4Life v Sundawana (15:00, Maseru)      

Sky Battalion v LCS (15:00, Maseru)

Butha-Buthe Warriors v Bantu (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)   

Sunday 22nd January

LDF v Rovers (15:00, Ratjomose)     

Likhopo v LMPS (15:00, LCS)         

Matlama v Liphakoe (15:00, Maseru)

Saturday 28th January           

LMPS v Lioli (15:00, PTC)

Rovers v Bantu (15:00, Roma)          

Likhopo v Kick4Life (15:00, Maseru)           

LCS v Liphakoe (15:00, LCS)

Sunday 29th January

Sundawana v LDF (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)          

Matlama v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Maseru)

Sky Battalion v Linare (15:00, LCS)             

FEBRUARY

Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th February

L.N.I.G Top 8 quarterfinal first legs

Saturday 11th February

Bantu v Matlama (15:00, Mafeteng) 

Liphakoe v Lioli (15:00, Quthing)

Rovers v LMPS (15:00, Roma)

Sunday 12th February 2017  

LDF v LCS (15:00, Ratjomose)        

Kick4Life v Sky Battalion (15:00, Maseru)  

Likhopo v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, LCS)        

Linare v Sundawana (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Saturday 17th February

LDF v LMPS (15:00, Ratjomose)     

Matlama v LCS (15:00, LCS)

Sky Battalion v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Maseru)       

Sunday 18th February

Linare v Bantu (15:00 , Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Kick4Life v Liphakoe (15:00, Maseru)

Lioli v Rovers (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Likhopo v Sundawana (15:00, Maseru)

Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February

L.N.I.G Top 8 Cup quarterfinal second legs

MARCH

Saturday 4th March   

Sundawana v Matlama (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Bantu v LDF (15:00, Mafeteng)

Rovers v LCS (15:00, Roma)

Sunday 5th March

Lioli v Kick4Life (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

LMPS Liphakoe (15:00, PTC)

Sky Battalion v Likhopo (15:00, Maseru)

Butha-Buthe Warriors v Linare (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)  

Saturday 11th March

Rovers v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Roma)        

Linare v Kick4Life (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)         

Matlama v Likhopo (15:00, Maseru) 

Sunday 12th March

LCS v LMPS (15:00, LCS)   

Bantu v Lioli (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)         

Liphakoe v Sundawana (15:00, Quthing)

LDF v Sky Battalion (15:00, Ratjomose)

Saturday 18th March

LMPS v Bantu (15:00, PTC) 

Kick4Life v LCS (15:00, LCS)         

Butha-Buthe Warriors v Liphakoe (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)          

Sunday 19th March

Likhopo v LDF (15:00, Maseru)        

Sky Battalion v Rovers (15:00, Maseru)        

Sundawana v Lioli (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Linare v Matlama (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Saturday 25th March

Lioli v LCS (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Matlama v Sky Battalion (15:00, Maseru)     

Linare v Likhopo (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

LMPS v Kick4Life (15:00, PTC)      

Sunday 26th March

Bantu v Liphakoe (15:00, Mafeteng)

Sundawana v Rovers (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Butha-Buthe Warriors v LDF (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)     

APRIL

Saturday 1st April

LCS v Bantu (15:00, LCS)

LMPS v Sundawana (15:00, PTC)

Liphakoe v Sky Battalion (15:00, Quthing)  

Sunday 2nd April

Lioli v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)       

Rovers v Likhopo (15:00, Roma)

Kick4Life v Matlama (15:00, Maseru)

LDF v Linare (15:00, Ratjomose)

Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th April

L.N.I.G Top 8 Cup semi-finals and final

Saturday 22nd April

Kick4Life v Rovers (15:00, Maseru)

Liphakoe v LDF (15:00, Quthing)

Matlama v Lioli (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Sunday 23rd April

LMPS v Linare (15:00, PTC)

LCS v Likhopo (15:00, LCS)

Bantu v Sky Battalion (15:00, Mafeteng)

Sundawana v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Saturday 29th April

Likhopo v Lioli (15:00, LCS)

Butha-Buthe Warriors v LCS (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

Rovers v Matlama (15:00, Roma)

Sunday 30th April

Sky Battalion v LMPS (15:00, Maseru)

Sundawana v Bantu (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

LDF v Kick4Life (15:00, Ratjomose)

Linare v Liphakoe (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium )

Saturday 6th May      

LMPS v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, PTC)

Bantu v Kick4Life (15:00, Mafeteng )

LCS v Sundawana (15:00, LCS)

LDF v Matlama (15:00, Ratjomose)

Liphakoe v Likhopo (15:00, Quthing)

Lioli v Sky Battalion (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)         

Rovers v Linare (15:00, Roma)