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March 1, 2019

NEO SENOKO

3 min read

Top 8 clash to separate men from boys

Top 8 clash to separate men from boys

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This weekend, the two venues of Maputsoe DIFA and LCS grounds will host one of the major domestic football extravaganzas, the 2018 edition of the LNIG Top 8. The first leg of the annual tournament, which features the best eight premier league teams for the premier league campaign kick-starts on Saturday with some mouth-watering encounters. The meetings promise nothing but fireworks to local supporters who are always keen to watch entertaining football. Log leaders Matlama will be hoping to progress to the semi-final round when they face the police who dropped points against minnows Sefotha-Fotha FC.

Tse-Putsoa as Matlama are popularly known have been in a fine form since the beginning of the second round of the league campaign. They only lost one game against the league defending champions Bantu. In their previous encounter, Matlama thumped fellow Maseru based outfit Kick4life 3-1, increasing their chances of claiming the league championship for the first time since the 2009/10 season. Matlama’s striker Motebang Sera who has been linked with a move to South African giants Orlando Pirates has once again found his scoring boots following a decline in form earlier in the campaign. The team’s sharp shooter has already netted 10 times for his side in the current campaign and will be looking to continue increasing the tally against LMPS tomorrow.

Under the tutelage of their new mentor Tele Nts’onyane, LMPS will be eyeing for an upset against the inform Matlama. The police club has been struggling to find their tune since Nts’onyane took charge at the beginning of the second round of the Econet Premier League with their last two matches ending in draws.  Simunye last won the Top 8 tournament in 2006. Premier league defending champions Bantu were handed an easy draw by being pitted against another small fry side in Majantja. In their previous encounter, James Madidilane’s charges walloped the Mohale’s Hoek outfit 6-1 in a league match, to the humiliation of the ever dedicated Majantja fans. Predictions are that the Mafeteng side will have a walk in the park against Majantja who have been struggling in the coaching department since the departure of their young South African mentor, Kabelo Malapane.

Malapane joined the team after his predecessor Lekeletso Lebeta’s passing on. However, the South African later left owing to the team’s financial problems. Matlama head coach Thabile Secker revealed in an interview with Metro that while his charges crabbed all the six points from LMPM this season, meeting the police this weekend will not be an easy walk in the park. The former Lioli and Manonyane mentor plans to score more goals in the first leg and not concede any. “it is going to be a different ball game altogether because it is a cup match. We beat them twice this season so I expect them to throw everything in tomorrow but we are ready for them,” Secker said in interview on Wednesday. While the team is also eyeing the league title, Secker confirmed that he is keen on a double this season.

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LMPS on the other hand go to the weekend game as underdogs and Coach Nts’onyane admits that theirs is going to be a tough business. “Matlama are lately on top form and that means we have to be at our best if we are to make an impact in that encounter. Despite the fact that we are underdogs, we are also going to throw everything in this fight and see how far we will go,” the former Linare mentor said in an interview with Metro on Wednesday. On Sunday in Maputsoe, Kick4life take on LDF while Lioli face LCS in another enticing encounter. The LNIG Top 8 is sponsored to the tune of M1 million with the overall winners going home with a whooping M100 000. The runners- up will pocket M80 000. Third and fourth placed will walk away M60 000 and M50 000 richer, respectively

 

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