All to play for as Baroka, Bay face off in last playoff

Richards Bay will head into their final match of the PSL promotional playoffs against Baroka at King Zwelithini Stadium tomorrow (3pm) needing only a point to retain their status in the DStv Premiership.

The Natal Rich Boyz are level with the University of Pretoria on five points following their 1-1 draw at Tuks Stadium on Saturday.

Baroka, who have two points in the mini-league standings, still have a chance of winning the playoffs. They will need to beat Bay by 2-0 to be level on five points which will also see them move to the top of the table due to a superior goal difference.

A 1-0 victory by Baroka though will mean AmaTuks will move to the top of the standings and will be promoted to the league with a superior goal difference as all three teams will be level on five points.

There is no doubt pressure will be on Bakgaga tomorrow to try and win the match, while the Natal Rich Boyz only have to avoid a defeat to retain their status.

Having watched AmaTuks draw with Bay on Saturday to open doors for Baroka, coach Morgan Mammila will have to motivate his players that it's now or never if they are to be promoted to the elite league.

Baroka will draw some confidence from their 1-1 draw with AmaTuks in their last Wednesday match at home, where they left everything on the pitch but could not get the result they wanted.

They will need to show more of the same performance against a stubborn Richards Bay side, who knows very well how to grind the results, especially at home.

Bay will also want to use their home ground to their advantage to avoid defeat. AmaTuks will rue their failure to collect maximum points at home at the weekend, which would have seen them open a three-point gap between them and the Natal Rich Boyz.

Bay will be relying in the experience of Sanele Barns and Somila Ntsundwana to help them.