DSTV Prem Betting Preview by Opta Jabu

Another round of commences this weekend with more twists and turns expected. With just a handful of matches to look forward to, Opta Jabu has the best bets and value bets for this weekend’s action.

Maritzburg v Golden Arrows

A KZN derby kicks off the football this weekend, where Maritzburg host stuttering Golden Arrows on Friday night. They’ll be looking to build on their home win over Supersport which brought an end to a 10-match run without a league win, their longest winless run in Ernst Middendorp’s current spell. Their visitors only mustered four shots during their 1-0 defeat to City on Sunday (their lowest this season), and the odds make Maritzburg (2.10) favourites over Arrows (3.90) for the win here.

1 – Maritzburg have lost one of the last nine games at home to Arrows since 2011, winning five, drawing three and failing to score just once.

Having said that, they’ve scored more than once on one occasion in a home league game since Middendorp took over.

Chippa v Marumo Gallants

There are few words left to describe Chippa’s home form over the last year. Since 20 February 2022, their home league record reads: Played 22 Won 1. Ironically, the only home win came courtesy of a Kurt Lentjies goal (1-0 v Stellenbosch). Having said that, they showed some signs of life in the 2-2 draw against Royal AM, narrowly missing out on a home win thanks to Mxolisi Macuphu’s last-minute goal. The long odds on a Gallants’ win should catch the eye here, with 4.60 offered for Dan Malesela to return home with 3 points.

1 – Chippa are the only team yet to win a home game this season (W0, D7, L2). However, their seven draws is a league-high for home matches.

Sekhukhune v Swallows

There was a lot to enjoy about Sekhukhune’s 4-0 victory over Baroka, mainly in the number of chances they created. Swallows on the other hand failed to even get a shot on target as they headed for their 9th defeat of the campaign (only TS Galaxy & Baroka have more). It would be great to witness another four goals for Sekhukhune, but highly unlikely (Over 2.5 goals yields a 7.75 return). That said, Swallows have failed to score in more matches than any other side all season & will have their work cut out this Saturday.

10 – Only Sundowns (13) have more clean sheets in the league than Sekhukhune this season (10). 

Baroka v Kaizer Chiefs

2nd place is up for grabs for Kaizer Chiefs when they travel to Baroka late on Saturday evening. Both teams had disappointing results in their last games, although Chiefs’ 0-0 draw will be considered a better result in hindsight. Having put up an impressive performance against Sundowns the week before (1-1), Baroka were humiliated in their game against Sekhukhune, suffering their heaviest league defeat since December 2017 (4-0 v Sundowns). It’s one win in 15 now for Bakgaga, who are running out of time to get out of the relegation zone. Chiefs are yet to score this year, despite taking 12 shots in the two games they have played in 2022. They should favour themselves to find the net against the league’s basement side.

1 – Baroka have won just one of their last nine games against Chiefs, winning four & drawing the other four.