SuperSport United will face off with their city rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in an Absa Premiership match at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Tshwane on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 3:00pm.

Matsatsantsa are coming into the new campaign following a successful season which saw them win the Nedbank Cup after finishing fourth in the league.

Accomplished coach Stuart Baxter has left the club after being appointed South Africa head coach and he was replaced by Eric Tinkler, who guided Cape Town City to the 2016 Telkom KnockOut Cup trophy.

The Tshwane side started the new season on a winning note - defeating Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the 2017 MTN8 Top Cup quarterfinal match in Durban last weekend.

In Sundowns, SuperSport will face a wounded team as the Brazilians were stunned 1-0 by a spirited Maritzburg United side in the MTN8 Cup quarterfinal match in Pretoria last weekend.

The core of the Brazilians team remains the same, but promising tactician Rulani Mokwena, who was serving as the Sundowns assistant coach has joined Orlando Pirates.

The Brazilians, who were the defending champions, settled for a second spot finish in the league in the previous campaign and they will be hoping to go one step further this season.

Saturday's Tshwane Derby clash has the makings of a cracker as Sundowns are unbeaten in their last eight matches against SuperSport, who are coming off a morale-boosting win.

Possible SuperSport XI: Williams, Kekana, Gould, Daniels, Modiba, Furman, Letsholonyane, Alexander, Wome, Brockie, Grobler.

Possible Sundowns XI: Mweene, Morena, Langerman, Madisha, Nthethe, Kekana, Manyisa, Zwane, Vilakazi, Tau, Billiat.

Head-to-Head

LAST 10 LEAGUE RESULTS

Season Result Scorers

2012/13 Sundowns 0-0 SuperSport

2012/13 SuperSport 1-0 Sundowns Doutie

2013/14 SuperSport 1-1 Sundowns Khumalo; Mashego

2013/14 Sundowns 3-0 SuperSport Moriri, Modise, Malajila

2014/15 Sundowns 3-1 SuperSport Billiat, T. Zwane, Modise; Wome

2014/15 SuperSport 1-2 Sundowns Brockie; Mashaba 2

2015/16 Sundowns 2-0 SuperSport Kekana, Castro

2015/16 SuperSport 0-2 Sundowns Mbekile, Billiat

2016/17 Sundowns 5-0 Supersport Daniels (og), T. Zwane, Mashaba, Billiat 2

2016/17 SuperSport 0-1 Sundowns Kekana

LEAGUE RECORD (since 1990)

Home

P W D L GF GA

SuperSport 26 5 6 15 24 42

Sundowns 26 12 5 9 41 31

Away

P W D L GF GA

SuperSport 26 9 5 12 31 41

Sundowns 26 15 6 5 42 24

Total

P W D L GF GA

SuperSport 52 14 11 27 55 83

Sundowns 52 27 11 14 83 55

What the teams are saying

SuperSport United head coach Eric Tinkler

“The players understand the concept of wanting to start the league on a positive note," he said.

“And I have said there is no better opportunity to do that than playing Sundowns in the first league game of the season, when they are not firing on all cylinders, and neither are we, truth be told."

Sundowns midfielders Hlompho Kekana and Anthony Laffor

“The Tshwane derby is the most exciting derby in the PSL because there are always goals,” Laffor said.

“The team is gelling well in training. We have a few options in all positions. Let’s see what the coach (Pitso Mosimane) does,” Kekana said.

Key players for SuperSport United

Morgan Gould: The towering defender is enjoying his football at the moment and a solid display against Kaizer Chiefs in the recent MTN8 Cup quarterfinal clash earned him a well-deserved Man of the Match accolade. His experience at the back will be vital if SuperSport are to keep a clean sheet against Sundowns.

Jeremy Brockie: The New Zealand-born hitman has established himself as the most lethal and consistent striker in the PSL. His goal earned SuperSport a 1-0 victory over Chiefs last weekend and he will be looking to inspire Matsatsantsa to another victory this weekend.

Key players for Mamelodi Sundowns

Hlompho Kekana: Sundowns usually look to their inspirational captain when the chips are down and the hard-working midfield maestro has proved to be one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Absa Premiership. The 32-year-old player, who has a knack of scoring important goals for the Brazilians, will look to lead his side to victory over SuperSport.

Khama Billiat: The Zimbabwe international remains Sundowns' talisman and one of the best players in the Absa Premiership. Despite rumours linking him with a possible move away from Sundowns, the exciting forward is still committed to the Brazilians and on his day, his large bag of tricks capable of winning a match single-handedly.