LEOPARD’S MAKE OR BREAK

MBABANE – After making history in the CAF Confederation Cup, a make or break league encounter awaits Royal Leopard.

Despite losing 2-1 in an away game to Algerian side JS Kabylie in the CAF Confederation Cup, Leopard advanced to the group stages on an aggregate score of 2-2 the away goal rule. They will be coming to this league clash brimming with confidence following the CAF achievement. The Edwin Matsebula-led charges have not been doing well in the domestic league, having failed to record a win in their past two games. They dropped two points after playing to a 2-all draw against Vovovo on January 31, and were handed their second league defeat on January 16 by Tambankulu Callies where they lost 1-2. They last won on January 9 this year, beating Tinyosi 3-0.

Buffaloes on the other hand, are coming into this game unbeaten in a minimum of 900 minutes of football. They last suffered defeat in November 20, 2021, when they lost 0-2 to Moneni Pirates. If form is anything to go by, Buffaloes’ straight six wins should give them an upper hand going into this fixture. However, this is just a normal fixture as it carries more weight than just getting the three points at stake. This is a forces derby with bragging rights at stake and another deciding factor is that Leopard  are still in contention for the E200 000 first round ‘carrot’. Buffaloes would not want to be ‘king makers’; they would want to finish the first round on the second spot. Ingwe Mabalabala, on the other hand, needs to win this game if they want to keep their hopes of winning the first round alive.

When it comes to head- to-head, the two teams have equal strengths. In their past four meetings, this encounter has ended in a draw.  On three consecutive years, the score line was 1-1. It was in October 23, 2019 that a forces derby ended in a goal-less draw. Leopard were the last to record a win in May 19, 2019 where they won 2-0. In all honesty, this fixture presents one game that is not worth missing. A more interested spectator will be that of Mbabane Highlanders. If Leopard lose, it is all over as Leopard can finish at 32 points while Highlanders is already at 33 points. Leopard need a draw in this game and a win their next clash against Manzini Sea Birds and then set a decider with their strong contenders in their last first round match.

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