Maseru
With just four matches left before the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) ends, football enthusiasts will once again be on the lookout for a tantalizing set fixtures this coming weekend.
The significance of this fixtures will be crucial for the VPL title race as all teams in the top four will face each other. The spectacle will begin on Saturday when log toppers Lioli will welcome fourth place Linare in their own backyard in Teya-Teyaneng.
Lioli will come into this clash spirited to maintain their tittle charge after Matlama failed to make the most of their catch-up game against Linare last Sunday. Victory against Linare would have elevated the capital based side to the top of the log and they would match Lioli on 60 points from their 57 prior to the one all draw against Linare which left them with 58 points.
However, Lioli will have to be at their utmost best to overcome a stubborn Linare, this, as to justify themselves as favourites to clinch the league come mid-May.
Linare will also look to maintain their form since the appointment of Head Coach Bob Mafoso who was tasked to guide the team into the top four. Mafoso is without a doubt enjoying the assignment as the green Buffalos (an affectionate name for Linare) are yet to lose a league match since assuming the rank. They are currently with 47 points and victory against Lioli see them hold on to fourth position at least for the moment.
On Sunday, the titanic battle between defending champions, Bantu and Matlama to take place at Bambatha Ts’ita Sports Arena in Maseru will once again dominate headlines. Both teams will be hoping for nothing but a win to remain as contenders for the championship.
Bantu have not had a good season thus far according to their standards but they cannot be ruled out since they are only four points away from the first position. They are on the third position with 56 points and victory against Matlama will reduce the gap between them and first position to just a point and this is if Linare does its part by defeating Lioli.
Tse Putsoa, as Matlama is popularly known, will also seek to move on from Sunday’s draw against draw that prevented them from assuming first position. A win will ensure that they are still very much alive in the title race.
