The Premier Soccer League’s favourite ‘second’ club, Stellenbosch FC, return to domestic action with a mouth-watering provincial rivalry on the line.
Stellies will welcome Cape Town City to the Athlone Stadium tonight (7.30pm kick-off) with local bragging rights and a four-year dominance on the line.
The Cape Winelands-based outfit’s upward trajectory had coincided with them getting the upper hand over their local rivals.
The Citizens, previously the dominant power in the Western Cape, have not beaten Stellies since 2020.
Get your tickets and don’t miss out on Wednesday night’s thrilling encounter! 👊
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) September 23, 2024
🆚 Cape Town City FC
🏆 #BetwayPrem
🏟 Athlone Stadium
📅 Wednesday, 25 September
🕙 19H30
🎟️ R50.00 from https://t.co/mvO6FVTj2Q pic.twitter.com/G37EEhmRZT
Two first-half strikes by Thabo Nodada and Craig Martin were enough to see City over the line on that day, but Stellies went on to win six of the next seven match-ups between the two teams.
Stellenbosch’s rise to a higher position in the local league, as well as their qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup, had seen them capture the hearts of fans throughout the country.
Head coach Steve Barker and his men touched down in the country on Monday after securing a place in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup in their debut season, with Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams – who was linked with a number of clubs in recent weeks – one of the stalwarts in the team.
Stellenbosch slew Congolese giants AS Vita 3-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in Kinshasa on Sunday – where Lehlohonolo Mojela scored for the visitors – making them the favourites for their coming fixture.
City were one of the busiest clubs in the recent transfer window, and are sporting a couple of fresh faces this season.
Head coach Eric Tinkler was a frustrated man the last time his side played a Premiership match, a draw with Royal AM.
The former Bafana stalwart insisted that he felt his group “took things for granted” in their first game of the season, and he would seek to rectify that against Stellenbosch.
The two Western Cape clubs have set their ambitions on CAF positions this season, raising the stakes in this fixture even at this early stage of the season.
Here are the 8 home games that will be FREE for all Citizens! 🙌
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) September 24, 2024
We can’t wait to see you packing the stands and cheering us on in full force. Let’s make these matches unforgettable! 💙#iamCityFC | #FreeFootballForAll pic.twitter.com/b4YskhKdkX
City will allow free entry to fans for a number of games at Athlone Stadium.
“Cape Town City Football Club, in partnership with the City of Cape Town, is happy to announce an exciting #FreeFootballForAll initiative offering free access to our eight home league games at Athlone Stadium, with 10 000 seats available for each match,” the club said.
Also on the agenda tomorrow are four other Premiership fixtures.
Golden Arrows will look to maintain their top position in the standings with a third win in a row when they welcome Magesi FC to the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale (7.30pm).
At the same time, SuperSport United and TS Galaxy will kick off at the TUT Stadium seeking their first wins of the season.
Meanwhile, at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Sekhukhune United and Chippa United collide in what is expected to be a tactical encounter between coaches Kwanele Kopo and Lehlohonolo Seema.