Ajax Cape Town will be looking to end their recent lean run of form when they host Absa Premiership leaders SuperSport United on Friday evening. The match takes place at Cape Town Stadium, kick-off at 20h00.
Ajax have picked up just one point from the last 12 available, a poor run of form which has seen them drop to eighth place on the table on 14 points, a full 10 off the pace of United at the top of the log.
The Cape side hit the skids when they unexpectedly suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat against AmaZulu. Then came a 1-1 home draw with bottom-of-the-log Jomo Cosmos, followed by back-to-back defeats away to Moroka Swallows and home to Bidvest Wits.
Amidst these disappointing league results, Ajax were also dumped out of the Telkom Knockout – a competition in which they have performed strongly over the years – with a 2-1 home loss to Golden Arrows.
All this means that the Urban Warriors and coach Maarten Stekelenburg will be determined to get back to winning ways in this home match on Friday evening. However, they face a tough challenge against the league’s present pacesetters.
SuperSport are the only unbeaten team in the Absa Premiership after ten rounds and have already established a healthy four-point advantage to second-placed Kaizer Chiefs – it is a buffer they will be determined to protect when they face up to Ajax.
In terms of head-to-head stats, the teams have met 24 times in the league since Ajax’s formation in 1999. Matsatsantsa have 10 wins, the Urban Warriors eight, and there have been six draws. At home Ajax have a slight edge – five wins to United’s four from 12 games played in the Mother City.
The good news for Ajax is that they are unbeaten in Cape Town in their last four league games against SuperSport United and haven’t lost to the Tshwane team in the league since 2008/09. The Urban Warriors also claimed a comprehensive 5-2 win over Gavin Hunt’s side in an MTN8 quarterfinal early this season, though United look a much stronger team now than they did in that match.
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