Four key players in the chase for the Caf Champions League

Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC are locked in a battle to finish as runners-up in this season’s DStv Premiership, and to qualify with champions Mamelodi Sundowns for next season’s Caf Champions League.

Stellenbosch would love to finish off a superb season by earning the right to play in the Champions League for the first time, while Pirates are looking to renew their relationship with Africa’s biggest club competition.

The Buccaneers were the first South African side to win the tournament back in 1995, and reached the final in 2013, where Roger De Sa’s Buccaneers lost to Al Ahly.

Pirates will finish off the season with the Nedbank Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns on June 1, but will no doubt also be keen to do so as officially Masandawana’s closest rivals.

Phakaaathi takes a look at two players from Stellenbosch and two players from Pirates who could be key in the final two match days of the Premiership campaign.

Jayden Adams

23 year-old Jayen Adams is having a brilliant season with Stellenbosch, and was also part of the Bafana Bafana squad that finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.

The midfielder has an eye for a killer pass, and has already provided six assists in the DStv Premiership this season.

There is little surprise that Mamelodi Sundowns are reportedly chasing his services, and he will have a chance to provide an audition on Saturday when Stellies host Sundowns at Athlone Stadium. Steve Barker’s side have gone slightly off the boil of late, and could certainly do with Adams returning to his best as the campaign draws to a close.

Iqraam Rayners

Iqraam Rayners has a had a sensational last few months in a Stellenbosch and Bafana Bafana shirt, racking up the goals to enhance his reputation as one of the top strikers in the DStv Premiership.

A quietly spoken striker, Rayners does much of his talking on the pitch and did this nowhere more than when he bagged all five goals in a 5-0 win over Polokwane City on April 27.

Rayners has failed to hit the back of the net in his last three games for Stellies, and could do with ramping up his pursuit of the Golden Boot (Rayners currently has 14 goals, one behind Pirates’ Tshegofatso Mabasa) if the Cape Winelands side are to raise their glasses to the Champions League next season.

Tshegofatso Mabasa

Tshegofatso Mabasa has proved just how big a mistake Orlando Pirates made loaning him to Moroka Swallows in the first half of the season, with a stunning goal spree for the Buccaneers in 2024.

The 27 year-old marksman has 12 goals in 15 appearances in all competitions for Pirates this year, including his first ever senior hat-trick in a 7-1 win over Golden Arrows.

Nine league goals for Pirates have shot him to the top of the DStv Premiership scoring charts, when added to the six he scored at the Birds.

It is amazing, really, that Mabasa was overlooked for the Bafana squad named by Hugo Broos on Wednesday, particularly as the man Mabasa is currently keeping out of the Pirates side, Evidence Makgopa, did get the nod.

Relebohile Mofokeng

If there is a player in the Orlando Pirates team who produces that short take of expectation at what they might do when they receive the ball, it is Relebohile Mofokeng.

The 19 year-old attacking sensation has an array of tricks to wow even the most world-weary of spectators, and while his decision making could be better at times, he has already shown a distinct upward trend in 2024.

Mofokeng’s link up play with Mabasa has been a main part of Pirates’ attacking renaissance this year, and if this weekend’s 1-0 loss to Richards Bay is proven as an exception to the rampant rule in the Buccaneers’ next two matches, it may well be Pirates who have Champions League football next season.