Chiefs host Baxter's SuperSport in CT

Kaizer Chiefs will be out to extend their winning run when they host SuperSport United in an Absa Premiership clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening. Kick-off is at 08:15pm.

The Amakhosi racked up a third successive league win, beating Bidvest Wits 1-0 earlier this month to close the gap on the Clever Boys and Mpumalanga Black Aces, in third and fourth spot respectively, to one point.

Chiefs also managed a positive result in the CAF Champions League preliminary round last weekend, a 4-0 win over Volcan Club de Moroni a morale booster leading up to the clash in the Mother City.

Steve Komphela was delighted with his teams performance in the Comoros and has called onto his team to carry the momentum into the game, a familiar foe in SuperSport United.

“Any game away from home is difficult. We planned to win this match [against Volcan] and that’s what we got, a good result away from home,” said Komphela.“We will take this result to the next game.

"We just want to continue our winning form. We took courage from the win against Maritzburg United, which led to beating Golden Arrows and, accordingly, we got one over Bidvest Wits.

“We are not looking at what happened in Moroni. Yes, we will refer to the victory, but our focus is always on the next assignment."

For SuperSport United head coach Stuart Baxter the game will be an emotional one. Last time this year his Chiefs side were well on their way to clinching the 2014/2015 Absa Premiership title.

Having helped the club to league glory, Baxter left for Turkey before taking over the reins at Matsatsantsa following Gordon Igesund's sacking last month.

"It will be emotional for me, of course it will be," said Baxter.

“It will be a nice occasion. Some of the players at Chiefs are like my sons I don’t know whether I should try and sign them or adopt them.”

Baxter registered his first win as SuperSport boss, beating Tshwane rivals University of Pretoria 2-0 last weekend.

“I’m asking a lot from them after two weeks, I know, but I think we need consistency," Baxter continued. “The results take away the knife on the throat a little bit ahead of the Chiefs match this weekend and we will be working hard to try and fix a lot of these problems.

“Hopefully we can make progress and produce a good performance.”

In head-to-head stats, SuperSport and Chiefs have met in 50 league matches since 1990.

Matsatsantsa have 19 wins compared to 18 for Amakhosi, while 13 matches have been drawn.

When the teams met earlier this season, a brace from George Lebese inspired the Amakhosi to an emphatic 4-1 away win.

The teams have not played to a goalless draw in the league since the first half of the 2007/08 season.

Sugira to stay put at AS Kigali

Following a good show at Chan 2016, Rwanda lead striker Ernest Sugira was linked to several African giants but the physically toned and technically astute lad has decided to see out his contract at league table leaders AS Kigali.

Sugira scored three goals for Rwanda to guide the Amavubi to the quarterfinals of the biennial tournament, the first time the East African nation reached this stage at a major football competition.

“Right now, I am concentrating on playing for AS Kigali as we aim at winning the league title. We are on top of the table but we have to be consistent if we are to win the title,” said Sugira.

The 24-year old is the subject of interest from Congolese side AS Vita, Warri Wolves of Nigeria and Sudanese outfit Al Hilal in the wake of his brilliant performance last month.

Sugira told supersport.com that, “I have heard that some top African clubs are interested in signing me and it is an honour but for now, I am concentrating on AS Kigali.”

AS Kigali head coach Eric Nshimiyimana said that he advised the youthful player who has been exceptional at club level scoring six goals in the eight games that he has featured in to gain more experience for the rest of the season before he can think of moving to another club.

“He did well in Chan and we are happy with his performance at club level but I advised him to get more experience before he moves to another team. It is easy to get excited about the interests from other clubs but he is a professional player and he has made the right decision,” explained Nshimiyimana.

Sugira charmed Chan 2016 winning coach Florent Ibenge with DR Congo who is also in charge of AS Vitaat the continental showpiece with the latter showing interest in signing the Amavubi striker.

Nigerian coach Sunday Oliseh said of Sugira, “He is a very good player, tall and strong. He has shown what he is capable of during Chan.”

Sugira also got plaudits from Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya who said that he has a very bright future ahead considering his ability to score goals, his speed and aptness when running at defenders.

Rwanda head coach Johnny McKinstry also applauded Sugira’s performance at Chan and is looking forward to consistency when the Afcon 2017 qualifiers resume next month as Amavubi take on Mauritius.

Sugira scored the lone goal in a famous victory over Mozambique in the opening fixture of the Afcon 2017 qualifiers last June in Maputo as Rwanda registered her first away win in four years.

On-fire Barca eye commanding lead

Barcelona can open up a nine-point gap at the top of La Liga ahead of their return to Champions League action against Arsenal next week when they travel to Las Palmas on Saturday.

The European champions extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 31 games with a seventh consecutive La Liga win thanks to a brilliant Lionel Messi double and Luis Suarez's 40th goal of the season in a 3-1 victory at Sporting Gijon on Wednesday.

That match had been postponed from December due to Barca's commitments in the Club World Cup and, having finally got their games in hand out of the way, Luis Enrique's men can pile the pressure on pursuers Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, who face on paper tougher tests on Sunday.

"There is still a long way to go and, therefore, nothing is done yet," said Barca midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

"Now we have to focus on the game we have this weekend.

"The unbeaten record motivates us, but what counts is what you win at the end of the season. We need to remain humble and keep working hard."

Luis Enrique is expected to rotate once more with the trip to the Emirates in Tuesday in mind.

Sergio Busquets is suspended, while Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves are expected to return after being rested in midweek.

However, the star front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar are expected to start.

Zinedine Zidane's dream start to life as Real Madrid coach continued in midweek on his debut in the Champions League with a 2-0 win at Roma.

The Frenchman has now won six of his seven games in charge and has refused to give up in the title race despite now trailing Barca by seven points back in third place.

"It will be difficult, but we will go for it," said Zidane.

Madrid also face a tougher schedule in the league in coming weeks as they travel to Malaga -- who held Real to a 0-0 draw earlier this season at the Santiago Bernabeu -- before hosting Atletico in a Madrid derby next weekend.

"We need to rest well and think about the game in Malaga. On Sunday, we will do everything we can to get the points," added Zidane.

Atletico, meanwhile, face the biggest week of their season so far as they aim to remain in the title race and progress to the last eight of the Champions League for the third consecutive year.

Diego Simeone's men host fourth-placed Villarreal on Sunday before travelling to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday and finally facing Madrid next weekend.

"They are three great games and we have to try and win all of them," Atletico's top scorer Antoine Griezmann told the club's website.

Villarreal look well set for a return to the Champions League as they hold an eight-point lead over Sevilla in the race for fourth place thanks to an 11-game unbeaten run in the league.

The Yellow Submarine beat Atletico earlier in the season and also won the last time the sides met at the Calderon last season.

"It will be a difficult game, but with our supporters, playing our way and giving it our all, I'm sure it will go well," added Griezmann.

The French international will need to be careful, though, as Griezmann is just one yellow card away from missing the derby.

Valencia coach Gary Neville eased the pressure on his job with his first La Liga victory at the 10th time of asking against Espanyol last weekend, following that up with a 6-0 win against Rapid Vienna in the Europa League.

Los Che are now seven points clear of the relegation zone and could even move into the top half with victory at Granada on Sunday.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Friday: Levante v Getafe (1930)

Saturday: Las Palmas v Barcelona (1500), Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (1715), Real Betis v Sporting Gijon (1930), Celta Vigo v Eibar (2105)

Sunday: Rayo Vallecano v Sevilla (1100), Malaga v Real Madrid (1500), Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad, Granada v Valencia (both 1715), Atletico Madrid v Villarreal (1930).

Polokwane target Ajax win

Polokwane City will hope to return to winning ways when they host Ajax Cape Town in the Absa Premiership on Saturday afternoon at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium. Kick-off is at 3:30pm.

With the Citizens still licking their wounds after last weekend's 2-1 loss to Lamontville Golden Arrows, the match is set to be a thriller.

The match against the Urban Warriors grants them an opportunity to redeem their status at home as they cannot afford to drop six points consecutively.

Julio Leal's charges are also aware of their responsibility as they have registered two losses in their previous three matches.

Rise and Shine lost to Platinum Stars and Abafana Bes'thende, but were victorious in their encounter against Maritzburg United.

On the log table, City are placed at number 13 with 21 points from 19 league matches and meeting the Capetonians is set to be a test of their character.

Striker Puleng Tlolane says the youthful Ajax could cause a lot of problems for them if they are not watched, saying they need to be on their toes.

“It was disappointing to lose to Arrows last week but that's football and it's in the past now – we have to face Ajax,” said Tlolane.

“They scored late and we were close to securing a point, but we have to rectify those errors, we tried to play well and do everything right.

“We now have a chance to correct that and get the full three points, we must use our advantage at home and get a win.

“Our aim is to be in the top eight and everybody is ready. We have to get a win after losing the first round, but we know they have a good coach and players - we must respect them as they're dangerous.”

Focusing on Roger De Sa's men, Ajax will be high in confidence following their CAF Confederation Cup tie against Angolan side GD Sagrada Esperanca.

However, in their league run so far, they drew 2-2 against Mpumalanga Black Aces, beat Stuart Baxter's side and lost to Orlando Pirates.

Placed at number 10 with 23 points, the Parow-based club will be motivated to fight for the full three points in Polokwane. Ajax were victorious in the reverse fixture at home and RDS will be boosted by the return of Franklin Cale from injury.

“Polokwane are a difficult team, especially when you play away. They are a similar team to us, but they are more compact in the middle and like playing forward passes,” said Cale.

“They’ve got some nice speedy players. We just have to go out there and be ourselves. We need the three points and they need it too, so it can be a game that can maybe go our way if we just stick to our plan.”

Wonder goal scorer Faiz told to shoot more

Faiz Subri has been told to demand more free-kick duties by his Penang manager after the shy and humble striker's stunning, swerving set-piece goal in a Malaysian league match won him a cash prize after going viral on social media.

The 25-metre strike in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Pahang has been dubbed the "knuckleball goal" on Twitter and YouTube and has been compared to Roberto Carlos' famous free kick for Brazil against France in 1997.

Some social media users earmarked Faiz as a contender for the 2016 Fifa Puskas award, given to the scorer of the best goal of the year, but the 29-year-old is already being recognised for his remarkable effort.

The Penang government gave him a cheque for 10,000 ringgit ($2,400) for bringing fame and glory to the state and country, while his manager Jacksen Tiago told him to push regular set-piece taker, Argentine Mathias Cordoba, for more opportunities.

"Mathias is the main free-kick specialist. But I've encouraged others, including Faiz, to have a go now and then," the Brazilian coach was quoted as saying by the Malaysian Star newspaper on Friday.

"I noticed that Faiz was often too shy to request for the ball from Mathias during the pre-season friendlies.

"I know what Faiz is capable of from dead-ball situations. I've told him not to be afraid to take free-kicks during matches. It was a fantastic goal and I want him to score more wonderful goals.

"I'm happy for Faiz... he's a disciplined and humble player who deserves all the attention he is getting right now."

The player, uncapped at international level, told local media on Wednesday there was no luck involved in the strike but that it was "not right to compare" his effort with that of "legend" Robert Carlos.

"It is not a fluke... I practise taking shots from free kicks. I am stunned by all the attention after scoring this goal," Faiz said.

"I only came to know of all this attention after my phone kept ringing non-stop."

Chippa eye third successive win

Chippa United will be eyeing a third successive Absa Premiership win when they welcome Free State Stars to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Kick-off is at 3:30pm.

The Chilli Boys further cemented their place in the top eight with a 1-0 win at Bloemfontein Celtic last time out.

Dan Malesela's troops return to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth this weekend before playing a further four home games at the Buffalo City Stadium.

Chippa have enjoyed great support at the Buffalo City Stadium and Malesela has called for the same sort of turn-out in PE.

"We are in the industry of entertaining people. People go to the stadium to be entertained and we need supporters to motivate the players. When we play at the Buffalo City Stadium I don't need to motivate the players, the crowd plays a huge role - its incredible," said Malesela.

"It is sad we won't be playing every game in East London. I hope our fans in Port Elizabeth have been watching and that they will also come to the stadium. It [the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium] is big, but we can fill it."

Stars captain Paulus Masehe was happy with the fight his team showed in their 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates last time out: the victory snapped a four game winless run.

"We had to fight, we knew somewhere, somehow we had to turn the corner. This was a do or die match for us," said Masehe.

The midfielder is hoping for a repeat peformance this weekend: "We really appreciate the crowd that came out to support the team, it is always important to us that the fans come out and support the team. Hopefully we can show the same fighting spirit against Chippa."

In head-to-head stats, Stars and Chippa have met in five league matches since the 2012/13 season.

Ea Lla Koto have claimed four wins compared to one for the Chilli Boys, while zero matches have been drawn.

Chippa’s only win in the rivalry arrived in last season’s home fixture, as they defeated Stars 1-0.

When the teams met earlier this season, a brace from Fileccia inspired Ea Lla Koto to a 3-0 home win.

Adebayor defends last days at Spurs

Crystal Palace striker Emmanuel Adebayor has fired a broadside at Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy ahead of a first return to White Hart Lane since his acrimonious exit.

Adebayor made nearly 100 Premier League appearances in four-and-a-half years at Tottenham but his relationship with Levy deteriorated after twice being denied a move to West Ham United, despite being sent to train with the youth team.

Adebayor and Spurs agreed to cancel his contract last September, preventing him from joining a new club until January, and the forward defended himself against a perception that he was still happy to get paid while not playing.

"Daniel Levy made everything complicated," the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker told British media.

"But at the end of the day, I know where I am from and when you want something you have to stand strong for it."

The Togo national said his commitment to charity in Africa helped motivate him to keep training hard in the months when he was, for all practical purposes, without a team.

"In life, I have been through a lot," he added. "Maybe 15 years ago I was playing on a beach without shoes and I was living in a house without a roof.

"A lot of people will say, 'He took money from Tottenham and went on holiday chilling', but I can guarantee I was not chilling. I was working more than all the Premier League players that were playing.

"At the end of the day, I am so happy that a lot of my money is going back home and is going to charity. For me that is the most important thing."