Lions on the brink, Reds smell blood
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday April 3, 2026 11:16
The 2025-2026 FNB Premiership has six games and 18 points to play for, and the two teams meet in Tlokweng under completely different realities. For Black Lions, the numbers make grim reading. After 24 matches, they sit on 21 points, having scored just 12 goals while conceding 30.
The team’s form screams relegation-bound as they sit just two points from safety. With just four wins all season, Black Lions has lacked that bite up front and steel at the back in their debut season.
The team has 18 points to savor their elite league spot, as they target an over of 30 points to ensure their survival.
Starting with a tie against the reigning champions over the holiday weekend, Black Lions need at least nine to 11 points from their remaining six matches. Dibata must win almost half of their remaining games, something they have not managed all season.
If the league’s youngest side drops points on Sunday, their season can turn if they can survive the drop. It is a mammoth ask for Black Lions as standing across them is the worst possible opponent for a team in crisis, the defending champions and log leaders.
GU have, in recent games, turned consistency into an art form. Sitting top on 59 points, with 46 goals scored and only 10 conceded, they have combined attacking efficiency with defensive stability. However, their job is not yet complete.
With the chasing pack six points behind, GU need a guarantee of 72 points to regain the title. This leaves The Reds needing 13 more points from the available 18 as they have fate of the title race firmly in their hands.
This translates to four wins and a draw starting with Dibata this Sunday, and it is no easy ask. But for a side that has lost just once all season, it is entirely doable.
And that is what makes this clash so compelling. The Lions are chasing survival, needing points to breathe. The Reds are closing in on the crown, hunting with precision as the two teams met under different weights of pressure. Kick off is at 4 pm.
Elsewhere this weekend, Matebele FC welcome Calendar Stars to the GU Stadium for a 7pm kick-off. Tomorrow, Morupule Wanderers and Mochudi Centre Chiefs clash at the Palapye Stadium while Police XI travel to the Sowa Town Council Stadium, where Sua Flamingoes lies waiting.
Jwaneng Galaxy are home at the Galaxy Stadium, where they host Santa Green, while Orapa United and Extension Gunners battle for maximum points at the Lucara Stadium.
TAFIC FC and BDF XI clash at the Francistown City Council Stadium, while Township Rollers and Nico United round off the Saturday action with a 7pm clash at the GU Stadium.