Sekhukhune vs Richards Bay Prediction: Relegation battle continues for the two sides

The round 18 South Africa Premier League clash between Sekhukhune and Richards Bay is scheduled to take place at Peter Mokaba Stadium. Let's delve into the match previews and formulate a prediction.

Babina Noko currently occupies the 12th position in the PSL table, holding a five-point margin from the relegation zone. The team has faced a recent dip in form, going winless in four matches, with the CAF Confederations Cup creating added challenges. Following a crucial 2-0 home victory against Chippa United, they managed a 0-0 draw at home against Stade Malien Bamako in a CAF clash. However, subsequent matches resulted in consecutive 1-0 losses, first away to AmaZulu in the league and then away to Stade Malien Bamako. In their latest fixture, they displayed resilience by securing a 1-1 draw at home against the formidable Kaizer Chiefs. Coach Lehlohonolo Seema faces uncertainty regarding Nyiko Mobbie's availability due to his AFCON involvement, while Badra Ali Sangaré participated in the AFCON final with Ivory Coast on Sunday.

Richards Bay enters the upcoming match on the heels of a 3-1 victory against SuperSport United in their recent Premier Division fixture. In that game, Richards Bay held 46% possession, registered 16 attempts on goal, with 7 of them on target. On the defensive end, SuperSport United had 11 attempts, with 8 finding the target. Over their last six matches, Richards Bay has scored a total of 7 goals, averaging 1.17 goals per game. Despite this recent success, Richards Bay remains in a precarious position in the relegation battle, accumulating just 13 points from 16 matches.

Both teams are putting in considerable effort to steer clear of relegation, adding significant importance to this match. While the visitors have shown improvement lately, their positive results have mainly been at home. Sekhukhune, on the other hand, exhibits strength when playing on their home turf. I predict a closely contested match with a slight advantage for the home team, resulting in a low-scoring affair.