Sundowns vs Royal AM: Preview, prediction, line-ups & where to watch

Published on by Nkosiyabuya Sithole

Mamelodi Sundowns will look to continue their winning streak when they host Royal AM in the midweek Betway Premiership match.

The defending champions have made a strong start to their title defense, winning all three of their opening league games. They have rebounded well from their early exit from the MTN8.

Royal AM, on the other hand, has struggled to find their rhythm this season, drawing four consecutive matches and suffering a first-round defeat in the Carling Knockout Cup.

Head-to-head

Royal AM have never beaten Sundowns since they bought status from Bloemfontein Celtic at the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

In fact, the Tshwane giants have won all their seven meetings since then.

The biggest victory for Sundowns over Thwihli Thwahla came in 2023 where the Brazilians won 5-1.

Team news

Themba Zwane recently went under the knife after he picked up an Achilles tendon injury in the AFCON qualifier against Congo Brazzaville last week.

Other Sundowns players who are still nursing injuries are Arthur Sales, Kegan Johannes and Lesiba Nku.

What coaches said?

While Manqoba Mngqithi hasn’t commented about the match, Royal AM coach John Maduka expressed confidence in Royal AM's readiness due to the team's decision to rest key players in their previous match against Cape Town City. 

“Regarding the sundowns game, very difficult game, playing away from home, we're happy that we rested most of the players that I think will change the team to make sure that we bring fresh legs and we hope that those fresh legs will help the team against sundowns,” said Maduka.

Time and where to watch 

The match will take place on Wednesday, 23 October at 19:30 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. It will be live on SuperSport 202.

Predicted Line-ups:

Sundowns: Williams, Mudau, Tiwani, Mvala, Kekana, Allende, Mokoena, Morena, Ribeiro, Matthews, Rayners

Royal AM: Ngcobo, Matlaba, Sbangani, Manganyi, Mkhize, Mpisane, Mahlasela, Magaqa, Mashiane, Sera, Maxwele

Prediction

Given Sundowns' dominance in the head-to-head record and Royal AM's recent struggles, it is expected that Sundowns will secure another victory in this match.

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Nkosiyabuya Sithole

Nkosiyabuya Sithole, a young and rising sports journalist based in Durban, South Africa, harbors a deep passion for football. Nevertheless, he aspires to become a well-rounded journalist, adept in various areas of the field.

Nkosi's career began in 2020, working as a home-based writer during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has since written for various websites, including Briefly News, FiND-iT News, and The South African. Attending live sporting events is a particular pleasure for him, as they provide opportunities for interaction with sports personalities.

Outside of the office, he's a God-fearing and affable young man.