02 November 2018, by: Thabang Kgeledi

EXCITEMENT HIGH AHEAD OF TELKOM KNOCKOUT QUARTERS

Thabang Kgeledi is back and he’s pumped up for the Telkom Knockout Quarter-finals this weekend. 

The Telkom Knockout quarter-finals are this weekend, and I am excited – aren’t you!?

Four games (three on Saturday and one on Sunday) of knockout football which gives you a perfect excuse to ignore your wife, kids, and the shower.

Let’s take a quick look at the upcoming Telkom Knockout quarter-final games:

This Weekend’s #TKO2018 Quarter-finals ??⚽️

15:00 (Sat) – Maritzburg United v Bidvest Wits
18:00 (Sat) – AmaZulu v Orlando Pirates
20:15 (Sat) – Baroka v Mamelodi Sundowns
15:00 (Sun) – Kaizer Chiefs v SuperSport United

BET Here: https://t.co/Ja735qhd9D pic.twitter.com/nXgZaq9XX8

— BET.co.za (@betcoza) November 2, 2018

Baroka will host Mamelodi Sundowns at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

#TKO2018 Match Fact: @Baroka_FC and @Masandawana have clashed on four occasions in the league, with Sundowns victorious in three of those and the other game drawn. Sundowns have won both their previous away trips to face Baroka, 1-0 and 2-1. pic.twitter.com/59Me0mCRNH — Telkom (@TelkomZA) October 30, 2018

Bakgaga handsomely beat Golden Arrows 2-0 in the round of 16 but their league form has been awful. They’re sitting second to last on the Absa Premiership table, they aren’t scoring many goals, and play like they placed a bet on themselves to get relegated.

To make matters worse, on Saturday they will be without their head coach Wesson Nyirenda. He will be attending a family bereavement in Zambia.

Mamelodi Sundowns maneuvered their way past Bloemfontein Celtic by one goal to nil in their round of 16 matchup. But, the PSL champions are quietly having a bad season.

Downs are eliminated from the CAF champions league, they got bounced by Cape Town City in the semifinals of the MTN 8, and have collected only 14 from a possible 24 points in their league campaign.

However…

The Brazilians have never lost to Baroka.

Ever.

Any guesses on who I’m betting on?

AmaZulu will come up against a confident Orlando Pirates side at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The fixture was moved from the King Zwelithini stadium, Amazulu’s home ground, after the sponsors, Telkom, requested it be moved to a bigger venue for brand activation purposes, the expected large crowd of supporters, and for more security to monitor the dustbin bandit:

Amazulu lead 3-2 Sundowns, the celebration ????#AbsaPrem pic.twitter.com/y3twkWDra2

— J^¥™ ? (@_ColdJ05) September 16, 2018

Amazulu smashed MTN 8 winners Cape Town City 2-0 in their round of 16 encounter, whilst Pirates narrowly won their game against Chippa United 1-0.

Usuthu are 16th on the Absa Premiership standings, Orlando Pirates are number two, and the Buccaneers are unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions.

Pirates have reached the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout every season for the past 10 years and won eight of their ties at this stage.

Maritzburg United face Bidvest Wits at the Harry Gwala stadium on Saturday night.

The People’s Team won 2-1 against Highlands Park in the round of 16. Maritzburg United started off this season shaky but seemed to have found their bearings in the last few games.

#TKO2018 Match Fact: Saturday’s quarterfinal clash (KO 20h15) will be the first meeting between @MaritzburgUtd and @BidvestWits in the Telkom Knockout, with their only other cup game coming when Maritzburg were still known as Tembisa Classic in the 2006 FA Cup. Classic won 1-0! pic.twitter.com/e5gM0Z0CzD — Telkom (@TelkomZA) November 1, 2018

Bidvest Wits booked their ticket to the quarterfinals by wearing down Free State Stars in a hard fought 1-0 victory. The Clever boys are in tantalizing form. They are on top of the league, scoring goals for fun, and have successfully integrated a Scot, Simon Murray, into their team without hearing a word of what he is saying.

Wits have only lost three times against United in their 23 games in all competitions. Maritzburg United have only been past the quarterfinal stage of the Telkom Knockout once in 12 attempts.

Maritzburg United:

Kaizer Chiefs are overdue a trophy. This is clubs longest cup-less run in the modern Premiership Soccer League era.

The last time Amakhosi won a trophy my son was a Ultrasound Scan. In the round of 16, Chiefs struggled against newly promoted Black Leopards and, on the balance of play, deserved to lose that game. They came away 4-2 winners on penalties when it ended 1-1 after extra time.

#TKO2018 Quarterfinal fixture: @KaizerChiefs vs @SuperSportFC – Sunday, Nov. 4, 15h00 (Moses Mabhida Stadium)

— Telkom (@TelkomZA) October 29, 2018

The last time Amakhosi won a trophy my son was a Ultrasound Scan. In the round of 16, Chiefs struggled against newly promoted Black Leopards and, on the balance of play, deserved to lose that game. They came away 4-2 winners on penalties when it ended 1-1 after extra time.

Supersport United are what you call cup specialist nowadays. Their elderly squad cannot perform consistently over a 30 game PSL season because of injuries, lack of stamina, and hip replacements surgeries. They got to the quarterfinals by beating Polokwane City 6-5 on penalties after they too drew 1-1 after extra time.

Kaizer Chiefs have not won any of their last eight games against Supersport United and were knocked out of the MTN 8 by them this season.

The Glamour Boys aren’t at their best right now and a loss could cause another riot.

BET: TELKOM KNOCKOUT