Guide to the MTN8 teams
MTNFootball.com previews the chances of the eight sides who will compete in the 2012 MTN8 starting this weekend!
AMAZULU
MTN8 titles: 0 (one final appearance)
Quarterfinal: vs Moroka Swallows (away) on Sunday (15h00)
Usuthu qualified for the MTN8 on the back of their joint-best PSL finish as coach Roger Palmgren took them from relegation candidates to the top eight. Having lost midfield kingpin Thami Sangweni to Mamelodi Sundowns, this might be a tougher season for them though, especially as they have failed to significantly strengthen the squad. They will do well to get past the quarterfinals in which they meet a Moroka Swallows side who has greater quality, but might also struggle to reach the highs of their second-place finish last season.
MTN prediction: Quarterfinals
BLOEMFONTEIN CELTIC
MTN8 titles: 1 (one final appearance)
Quarterfinal: vs Orlando Pirates (away) on Friday (20h00)
Celtic scraped into the top eight at the end of last season and so will have to face-off in a quarterfinal against League champions Orlando Pirates, who have also won the MTN8 in the past two seasons. There has been much change in the Celtic squad since the end of last season, so it is difficult to know how they will go in the new campaign. But it might take the players a few games to get used to each other, suggesting they could battle against a Pirates side who are ticking after their 2012 Carling Black Label Cup win on Saturday.
MTN prediction: Quarterfinals
FREE STATE STARS
MTN8 titles: 0 (one final appearance)
Quarterfinal: vs SuperSport United (away) on Saturday (15h00)
Stars did remarkably well to finish sixth in the last PSL season, though in truth they might be disappointed they did not make more of a title push. But since then they have lost top talents Edward Manqele, as well as the trio of Ayanda Gcaba, Mpho Makola, Manti Moholo, who have all left for Pirates. They have also been unsettled by coach Steve Komphela pitching for the Bafana Bafana job, though they seem to have out that behind them. They will be difficult to beat in Bethlehem of course, but you feel they could be a soft touch away from home this season.
MTN prediction: Quarterfinals
KAIZER CHIEFS
MTN8 titles: 14 (20 final appearances)
Quarterfinal: vs Mamelodi Sundowns (away) on Sunday (15h00)
It is not too often that Kaizer Chiefs go through a season without winning a trophy, so they will regard the 2011/12 campaign as something of a disaster. The club have since installed Stuart Baxter as head coach and brought in some international quality players to bolster the squad. They do still look a little light in the creative midfield department, but this is a certainly a squad capable of lifting silverware, and the MTN8 could be their big chance of that.
MTN prediction: Winners
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
MTN8 titles: 3 (eight final appearances)
Quarterfinal: vs Kaizer Chiefs (home) on Sunday (15h00)
You never really know what you are going to get from Sundowns, and that inconsistency has hurt them badly in recent seasons. They look to have done OK in the transfer market, though with so many players who now expect to be first-team regulars, there is the possibility of disharmony in a squad that has never really felt all that together. They have quality through the team, of that there is no doubt, but getting that quality to work for them on the pitch has proven difficult. A tough quarterfinal draw against Kaizer Chiefs has not helped their cause.
MTN prediction: Quarterfinals
MOROKA SWALLOWS
MTN8 titles: 2 (seven final appearances)
Quarterfinal: vs AmaZulu (home) on Sunday (15h00)
Losing coach Gordon Igesund to Bafana Bafana has been a body blow for Swallows and although his replacement Zeca Marques looks a good appointment from within, time will tell whether it was wise. The squad is much the same as last year, though all 12 months older and perhaps feeling their legs a bit more. Repeating the second-place finish of last season will be tough, but they are safe in the knowledge that they have not lost any of their stars either. Still, it could be a battle for them.
MTN prediction: Semifinals
ORLANDO PIRATES
MTN8 titles: 10 (14 final appearances)
Quarterfinal: vs Bloemfontein Celtic (home) on Friday (20h00)
Pirates have won the last two MTN8 titles and in all have captured six domestic trophies out of eight in the past two seasons. That is imperious form and why they will possibly be the favourites for the 2012 MTN8. But winning a hat-trick of titles is unprecedented and it would take an extraordinary effort. They have done OK in the transfer market since last season, without having signed too many players to get excited about. You feel a few injuries could lower the standard of the starting XI quite a bit.
MTN prediction: Semifinals
SUPERSPORT UNITED
MTN8 titles: 1 (three final appearances)
Quarterfinal: vs Free State Stars (home) on Saturday (15h00)
SuperSport will still be celebrating their victory in the Nedbank Cup final at the end of last season, a trophy that they will hope will open the floodgates after a number of barren years in knockout competitions that did not mirror their league success. They have bought well in the transfer market, but will miss forward Kermit Erasmus, who looks set for a move to Sweden. It SuperSport scored from half the chances they created, they would win everything, but wastefulness in front of goal has become a hallmark of the club in the last two years. That might be the difference in the end.
MTN prediction: Runners-up
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