 |
| Champions Bantu can't afford to slip further off the pace... |
Champions Bantu travel to Leribe on
Sunday for a high stakes Econet Premier League tie against high-flying Linare.
A Matšo
Matebele
go into the game with a lot to gain, and lose. The Mafeteng giants are fifth in
the Econet Premiership, five points adrift of leaders Matlama and can’t afford to fall further off the pace.
Unlike their previous two championship
winning campaigns, the 2018/19 season has been a challenging one so far for
Bantu; A Matšo Matebele have already
dropped nine points in seven games after dropping 16 in the whole of last
season.
Bantu coach James Madidilane knows all
too well that his side haven’t hit the impressive heights of the past two years
but he insists it is too early to hit the panic button.
“It’s a fact that we haven’t been doing
well in the league and there are some games where our boys did not perform well
like the game we played (a 1-1 draw) against Liphakoe last weekend – we were just off on the
day,” Madidilane said.
“But there are matches that I would say
we did well and I believe that we have a good group of players. If they can
play to the level that I know from them and concentrate and use the plans of
the day, I have no worries,” he added.
Sunday’s game at the Maputsoe DiFA
Stadium is against a Linare side that is flying high this season. Tse Tala are fourth in the Econet
Premier League having four of their seven games and are a point above Bantu.
Fortunately for Madidilane’s side,
however, Linare are their favourite opponent in the league.
A Matšo
Matebele
haven’t lost to Linare since Bantu’s promotion back to the top-flight in 2010.
In total, Bantu have won 12 of the 16 meetings, scoring 28 goals in the process
and only conceding nine.
Bantu’s dominance
over Linare:
|
|
Matches played
Wins
Draws
Losses
Goals for
Goals against
Points
|
16
12
4
0
28
9
40
|
Despite Bantu’s dominance over Linare, Madidilane
warned his side to be sharp. The season, he said, is still very much for the
taking if A Matšo Matebele learn from
mistakes made so far.
“If they get in to the pitch like they
did in the match against Liphakoe then I have to be worried,” Madidilane said.
“The team I assembled started poorly in
the league but I still believe in them, it’s just a matter of us sorting out
whatever has made us not perform to the best of our ability.”
Econet Premier
League Standings:
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Matlama
|
7
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
16
|
2
|
14
|
17
|
2
|
LCS
|
7
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
17
|
5
|
12
|
16
|
3
|
LDF
|
7
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
14
|
4
|
Linare
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
9
|
9
|
0
|
13
|
5
|
Bantu
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
8
|
3
|
5
|
12
|
6
|
Liphakoe
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
5
|
1
|
11
|
7
|
Lioli
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
6
|
0
|
10
|
8
|
LMPS
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
10
|
9
|
Sefotha-fotha
|
7
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
-4
|
6
|
10
|
Kick4Life
|
7
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
7
|
-5
|
6
|
11
|
Swallows
|
7
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
10
|
-6
|
6
|
12
|
Galaxy
|
7
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
6
|
-2
|
5
|
13
|
Majantja
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
11
|
-7
|
4
|
14
|
Likhopo
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
7
|
16
|
-9
|
4
|
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