Stellenbosch Hosts Magesi in Historic First Topflight Encounter

Stellenbosch FC will welcome Magesi FC in a highly anticipated league encounter, marking the first-ever topflight meeting between the two sides. Their only previous clashes occurred during the 2016-17 season in the second-tier National First Division.

In their first meeting on September 17, 2016, Stellenbosch claimed a 2-0 victory away from home, courtesy of goals from Nathan Gertse and Letsie Koapeng. The return fixture at the MFC on February 15, 2017, ended in a 1-1 draw, with James Bell scoring for Stellenbosch and Thabo Mokgalushi equalizing for Magesi.

Heading into this clash, Stellenbosch has been involved in two league matches against Limpopo-based sides this season, both ending in 1-1 draws—away to Polokwane City and at home against Sekhukhune United. Their record against teams currently in the league’s bottom five is solid, having played four matches, winning two and drawing two, with five goals scored and only one conceded. Their victories came at home, where they defeated Cape Town City 3-0 and Marumo Gallants 1-0, while they drew 0-0 away and 1-1 at home against Richards Bay.

Since their promotion to the topflight, Stellenbosch has struggled in their first league encounter against newly promoted sides. In five such fixtures, they have recorded just one win, alongside two draws and two losses. They drew 1-1 at home to Moroka Swallows in the 2020-21 season, 1-1 away to Sekhukhune United in 2021-22, and suffered defeats in 2022-23 (2-1 at home to Richards Bay) and 2023-24 (1-0 away to Polokwane City), before finally claiming a 3-0 victory against Cape Town Spurs last season.

Magesi, on the other hand, have enjoyed success against Western Cape opposition this season, remaining unbeaten in their two fixtures against Cape Town City. They secured a 2-0 home victory before holding City to a goalless draw away. Notably, Magesi have yet to concede a goal against Western Cape sides this season, a statistic they will aim to maintain against Stellenbosch.

With Stellenbosch looking to continue their strong record against struggling sides and Magesi aiming to maintain their unbeaten run against Western Cape opponents, this match promises to be an intriguing battle. Stellenbosch will hope home advantage plays a role, while Magesi will be eager to cause an upset and continue their solid run of form in their debut topflight campaign.