Johannesburg – Glamour club Kaizer Chiefs are set to make it two-out-of-two in the PSL with another away triumph against Black Aces on Wednesday, suggest most of Sport24’s resident gurus.
Every Absa Premiership round, a panel comprising compiler Rob Houwing plus Garrin Lambley, Raymond Silinga, Earl Haupt, Wade Pretorius and Tashreeq Vardien will attempt to hit the right buttons in forecasting a trio of the most attractive games on paper.
We will keep a season-long leaderboard showing who is prospering and which wretched souls are floundering: three points for wholly correct scoreline, one for right result.
Here’s our next trio of spiciest picks ...
1 Wits v University of Pretoria, Tuesday 19:30, Bidvest Stadium
It’s a big clash of Highveld academic institutions, if you like ... and the, um, educated view is that Wits will maintain their bright start to the season by seeing off AmaTuks. The Clever Boys (or at least, the Jo’burg-based bright sparks) under the astute tutelage of Gavin Hunt got a praiseworthy 1-0 away win against SuperSport United first up, and in their first game at their own cramped but treasured HQ must fancy making it six points from six. By contrast, AmaTuks began with a home loss to Polokwane City so they are already on the back foot. If it’s any consolation to them, I fancy it will be close, but ...
Rob’s tip: 1-0
Garrin: 2-0
Raymond: 2-1
Earl: 1-0
Wade: 2-0
Tashreeq: 2-0
2 Bloemfontein Celtic v Orlando Pirates, Wednesday 19:30, Free State Stadium
I admit to being more than a little partial to Phunya Sele Sele and their swaying, rowdy fans, so treat my own brazen tip on this one in that context, all you Buccaneers diehards. I just have a gut feeling that the home side may cash in on Pirates’ minor current disarray (a 2-1 first-round reverse to Swallows) and hand them a second unceremonious loss on the trot. Malawian striker Hellings Mhango broke the deadlock in the corresponding clash last season, and I’ve gone 1-0 again, though you get all possibilities from our panel on this one!
Rob: 1-0
Garrin: 1-1
Raymond: 0-0
Earl: 1-1
Wade: 0-1
Tashreeq: 1-1
3 Black Aces v Kaizer Chiefs, Wednesday 19:30, Mbombela Stadium
Chiefs will have been seriously chuffed with their 1-0 victory at a soggy but Sahara Desert-lookalike Charles Mopeli Stadium at the weekend, a fighting and successful start to their 2014/15 challenge. They’re on the road again for the second round on Wednesday, so another full house of points would represent serious early-season inroads. As usual, they won’t be too over-awed by visiting Mbombela Stadium as their enviable fan base is apparent countrywide, but you’ll also have plenty of Mpumalanga folk urging Aces to lift their game – they did well to come away with a draw at Bloem Celtic a few days back.
Rob: 0-1
Garrin: 1-1
Raymond: 1-2
Earl: 0-2
Wade: 1-2
Tashreeq: 1-2
Leaderboard after first round:
4 Raymond
3 Rob and Earl
2 Tashreeq
1 Garrin and Wade
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing