Smiso Msomi
Defending league champions Mamelodi Sundowns kick off the defence of their title with an appetising battle for supremacy in Tshwane as SuperSport United prepare for war.
The two teams will clash at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium at 7.30pm today with ambitions of not only making a positive start to the season but also claiming the right to walk around the city with their heads held high.
Clashes between these two teams in the past have always provided thrills as well as goals and having been in the colours of both Matsatsantsa and the Brazilians, no one understands this rivalry more than Sundowns left-back Aubrey Modiba.
The 29-year-old joined SuperSport in 2016 and leapt over to the other side of town in 2020 to don the colours of Sundowns where he’s won a number of titles.
Fresh from representing Bafana in the Afcon qualifiers and playing CAF Champions League football in the last week, Modiba has turned his attention to meeting his former club.
Speaking ahead of the game, he expressed that despite SuperSport playing less competitive matches than them this season, the occasion would make the result harder to predict.
“We know the Tshwane derby and the rivalry, it’s all about bragging rights in Pretoria and it’s not gonna be easy,” he said.
“I’ve been on both sides and when I was at SuperSport, we always looked forward to this game because they were our rivals. So, I expect that it’s going to be a tough one and we are ready for the game.
“They haven’t played in a long time but that doesn’t matter because derbies are different and derbies are special. We are also looking forward to the game.”
As we count down to the return to action... #TshwaneDerby loading! ⚽🔥⏳
— SuperSport United FC (@SuperSportFC) September 11, 2024
🆚@Masandawana
🏟️ Loftus Versfeld
🗓️ 17 September 2024
🕢 19H30
📺 PSL 202#MatsatsantsaUnified | #BetwayPremiership pic.twitter.com/dA405GYuef
The past five meetings between these two teams have produced 10 goals, averaging two goals a match, which has raised the expectations.
Despite being a defender by trade, Modiba is predominantly an attacking player and has drawn on that side of his game as the prospect of it raining goals intrigues him.
“What I like about Tshwane derbies is the fact that there are always goals, it rarely ends 0-0, so it shows the importance of the game and how much each team wants to win.”
Sundowns are coming off the back of an easy 4-0 win over eSwatini side Mbabane Swallows in the CAF Champions League preliminary round and scored their first goals of the season, having drawn a blank in the first three games in the MTN8.
“It was nice to see guys on the scoresheet again and it gives us confidence.”
Modiba explained how he felt the previous game would influence their next match in the league.
“Yeah, it was important for us to do well in the Champions League and score goals because we haven’t been lucky in the first three games,” he said.
“It was nice to see guys on the scoresheet again and it gives us confidence and gives the guys confidence as well.”