PSL Treble and Value Bets by OptaJabu

Another bumper weekend of DSTV Premiership action with the healding fixture being the Tshwane Derby, it also happens to be a top of the table clash. Elsewhere, the ever exciting Cape Town City and Kaizer Chiefs fixture is back to entertain on Saturday. And then on Sunday, Orlando Pirates face Black Leopards.

OptaJabu combs through the numbers and we come up with the best bets for your multis and bet slips as well as providing value bets.

15:00 – Supersport Utd v Mamelodi Sundowns

Sundowns have bossed this fixture in recent years, losing just once, drawing twice and winning eleven of the 14 games played between the clubs in the last seven years. Moreover, they have started the season ominously well. Sundowns won more points after 10 games of a PSL season as they have this campaign just once before (28 in 1999/2000).

Only once before have Supersport won more points after 10 games of a PSL season as they have this campaign (24 in 2011/12). Under Kaitano Tembo, they are starting to look like a team that could mount a serious challenge after years of being also-rans. They will be banking on their home form to see them past their cross-town rivals. Yet, their last home defeat also came against Sundowns.

The fixture is notorious for goals. Supersport have scored in every league game this season, scoring Over 1.5 goals in each of their last six games. At home, they are about to set a new record of scoring in successive home games, having found the net in 15 home games in a row. Their record is 16. Sundowns have failed to score only once all season, scoring Over 1.5 goals in 6 of their 10 league games. As the league’s top-scoring teams face off, both teams to score looks a good bet here.

The man of the moment is Bradley Grobler. The Supersport talisman set a new record during the week, becoming the all-time leading scorer for Supersport. He is just the second player in PSL history to score 10 goals in the opening 10 games of a league season for his club, following in the footsteps of Chris Katongo (Jomo Cosmos 2006/7). Grobler is also on a six game scoring run, his best goalscoring run in his PSL career.

Match Facts

0 – Grobler has failed to score in all of his 12 appearances against Sundowns, the longest he has gone without scoring against a single opponent.

0 – Supersport are unbeaten in 10 home games in the league, just one shy of their longest ever unbeaten home run in the PSL home league games (11 in 2011 and 2017).

24 – Only against Bloemfontein Celtic (25) have Downs won more league games than they have against Supersport (24).

118 – The Supersport-Sundowns league fixture has seen 118 goals scored in the PSL, more than any other fixture in the history of the competition.

Best Bet: BTTS at 1.86

Value Bet: BTTS and over 2.5 goals at 2.35

17:00 – Cape Town City v Kaizer Chiefs

City host Chiefs on Saturday afternoon still looking for their first win of the year. While defeat to high-flying Swallows FC is imaginable, the 2-2 draw against league newbies TTM is less forgivable for a side with their ambitions. The Citizens took a 2-0 lead, only to allow their hosts to fight back and share the spoils.

Matches involving City have been the most high scoring this season. There have been 34 goals in matches involving the Citizens, more than any other team has seen. Of the 10 matches played this season, only one match has seen less than 1.5 goals, with the other nine seeing Over 1.5 goals each.

The flip side of the many-goals coin is that City continue to leak goals at the back. City have conceded more goals than any other team in the league and the defence is one piece of the puzzle that Jan Olde Riekerink is yet to solve. Add the fact that City have kept just one clean sheet against Chiefs in their short history, and the case for the defence is made even harder.

Overall, Chiefs have enjoyed this fixture in recent years, losing just one of the last eight in all competitions since the start of the 2017/18 season. Matches in KZN and now Cape Town in the space of 72 hours could yet again prove a heavy load for Hunt’s thin squad.

Match Facts

1 – Chiefs have won just one of their last four games away from home, and two of the last eight.

8 – Riekerink is the first Cape Town City coach to go on a run of 8 consecutive league games without a clean sheet.

15 – Cape Town City have scored 15 goals in the first-half of games this season, more than any other side.

50% – Five of Cape Town City’s ten matches this season have yielded Over 3.5 goals.

Best Bet: Over 1.5 goals at 1.46

Value Bet: BTTS at 2.05

15:30 – Black Leopard v Orlando Pirates

On Sunday, Black Leopards will host Orlando Pirates at the Thohoyandou Stadium fresh from a resounding 3-0 win at the same stadium during the week. The Buccaneers will know that defeat on Saturday could potentially leave them 10 points off the top. So, it is important that they stay within touching distance of the leaders.

In fact, since Leopards were promoted in 2011/12, Pirates have been so dominant in this fixture that they have won every single league match, with an aggregate score of 19-3.

With one clean sheet all season, it’s no surprise Leopards are rooted at the foot of the table. Yet, Leopards have managed to score at least once in each of the four games they have played since December. In each of those four matches, they have opened the scoring. They have conceded a first-half goal in only one of the last seven league games.

Pirates have failed to score in a league game only once all season (v Sundowns). However they have managed to score Over 2.5 goals only once all season as well, ending six of their 10 games with Under 1.5 goals. They actually needed an injury time own-goal to win the last meeting between the sides.

Match Facts

Value Bet: Sundowns to score over 1.5 goals

Best Bet: Sundowns to win

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