Blood, sweat and tears expected at local PSL clash
It's down to the wire at Peter Mokaba Sports Complex this Sunday when Baroka FC and Polokwane City lock horns in what has been an eagerly-awaited Limpopo Derby.
POLOKWANE – The occasion is the Absa Premiership encounter between cross-town rivals cross paths in what could be likened to a rugby test match. Kick-off is at 15:30.
Given the intensity many derbies the whole world tend to ignite, there could be blood, sweat and tears by the end of this clash. What has perhaps kept the rivalry alive has been their almost similar status, and competitiveness: of course, Polokwane City, who have been in the elite league before Baroka, have been the more successful side, but history is littered with examples of high-stakes games between the two.
City, who are the travelling party in this match, go into this battle royale game with a superior league log standing, comfortably perched at position five with nine points amassed from the six matches they have played thus far.
At the new Peter Mokaba Sports Complex on 16 October, City shared the spoils with third-placed Orlando Pirates when they played to a 1-all stalemate.
Ahead of the derby, City have a herculean task when they lock horns with the best team in the continent, Mamelodi Sundowns at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, south of Pretoria where they face off in a crucial Telkom Knockout fixture.
Bafana ba Style are the 2016 CAF Champions League title winners following their 3-1 victory over Zamalek. On the other hand, Baroka are still brimming with buoyancy after edging out Platinum Stars 3-1 at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex on Sunday in the Telkom Knockout Cup. From a league perspective, Baroka have so far displayed a typical case of mediocrity. They are placed at position nine with six points harvested from six games. But it will be naïve of Rise and Shine to treat Bakgaga as underdogs.
The Ga-Mphahlele side have a reputation of upsetting even the biggest of clubs when it matters most. Looking ahead of this weekend’s derby, there are several key ingredients that make this clash one humdinger of a sporting event. Earlier before the 2016/17 fixture programme came out, fans from all over the province pored over what is basically a rundown of dates, an administrative procedure to determine when the Limpopo derby happens, and immediately look for their preferred game. Perhaps it’s a local derby, perhaps it’s a long-running feud, perhaps it’s a manager returning to a former club; the rivalry will this weekend form the meat of what it means to be a football fan.
