Durban — Swallows FC and The University of Pretoria are bracing themselves for a colossal 'winner takes all' collision during of their promotion-relegation playoff match on Wednesday afternoon at the Lucas Moripe Stadium at 3pm.
The two Gauteng based outfits have proven too much for Cape Town All Stars, who were also involved in the playoffs and are both in prime position to earn a spot in next season's DStv Premiership.
The Dube Birds have it all to do in this encounter as they come in on the back of a disappointing defeat to All Stars while trailing their next opponents by a single point means they would need to beat Tuks to retain their top flight status.
Perhaps the most interesting factor to look ahead to is how Swallows head coach Dylan Kerr plans to address his sides defensive frailties which have continued to be a thorn in their flesh.
The Soweto based club forfeited a lead and lost their match in the last five minutes of their last match, their most experienced campaigner Wandisile Letlabika in the spotlight for everything that went wrong on the day.
Another important factor will be who leads the line upfront for Swallows considering the fact that they would need to score at least once to achieve their objectives on the day.
Ruzaigh Gamildien, Kagiso Malinga and Mwape Musonda have all had opportunities to prove their mettle in the last three games and none have been able to find the back of the net.
It remains to be seen whether Kerr will option for the poacher in Gamildien, the workrate of Malinga or Musonda who has nine play-off goals to his name over the years.
Tuks find themselves in a tricky but welcome scenario heading to this encounter. The GladAfrica Championship side are a point ahead of Swallows and are in pole position to gain promotion into the DStv Premiership if they are able to avoid defeat against Swallows.
The Tlisane Motaung led side will have to make do without the exploits of one of their key men upfront in Thabang Sibanyoni who misses out through suspension.
While absence of Sibanyoni might hamper Tuks, the re-introduction of the side's top scorer Luvuyo Phewa is a welcome boost. The 22 year old Mamelodi Sundowns loanee has been in fine form this season, finding the back of the net ten times from an attacking midfielder role.
IOL Sport