The Carling Knockout Cup gets underway this weekend, with Golden Arrows hosting Chippa United and Polokwane City facing Siwelele on Saturday. Sunday sees Kruger United welcome AmaZulu before Sekhukhune United take on Richards Bay. We take a closer look at all four encounters from a betting angle below.
All 16 Premiership clubs enter at the Round of 16, with every tie decided in a single match. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, extra time and potentially penalties will determine who advances. There are no return legs, meaning each side must produce a result on the day to keep their Cup ambitions alive.
SATURDAY:
Golden Arrows vs Chippa United – click here to bet
Golden Arrows head into the opening round looking to end a five match winless run across all competitions. Their latest outing brought a 1-0 home defeat against Milford, following a goalless draw with Kaizer Chiefs and a 1-1 stalemate away to Siwelele.
Arrows have already shown their Cup potential this season, beating Chiefs 1-0 in the MTN 8 quarter-finals before winning away to Mamelodi Sundowns by the same score in their semi-final first leg. However, a 3-2 defeat in the return fixture ended that campaign and they have struggled to regain momentum since.
Chippa United also arrive on the back of a 1-0 defeat, having lost at home to Kruger United. That result ended a four match unbeaten league sequence which included draws against Siwelele, Milford and Sundowns, along with a 1-0 victory away to TS Galaxy.
Their recent matches have generally offered little margin for error with each of their last five producing two goals or fewer.
Head-to-Head:
Chippa have won 2 of the last 6 meetings, while Arrows have recorded 1 victory and the other 3 ended level. Their latest encounter finished goalless in August, with Arrows winning the preceding meeting 2-0 away from home in May.
Three of those six fixtures ended 0-0. Chippa did, however, win the most recent cup meeting between the sides, claiming a 2-1 Nedbank Cup victory in January 2025.
Odds: Golden Arrows 2.40 | Draw 3.15 | Chippa United 3.15
Verdict:
Neither side has offered much attacking consistency recently and their head-to-head record provides further encouragement for a low scoring contest. Arrows have failed to score in their last two appearances, while Chippa have scored just three times across their last five.
Home advantage could help Arrows and I am expecting them to edge a close and low scoring game
Bet: Golden Arrows win at 2.40
Polokwane City vs Siwelele – click here to bet
Polokwane City have gone eight competitive matches without a win since opening their league campaign with a 2-1 victory over Richards Bay. Their MTN 8 involvement ended with a 3-2 defeat against Sundowns, while their recent league results include draws with Milford, Marumo Gallants and Chiefs.
Successive 1-0 losses against AmaZulu and Siwelele have since added to their frustrations. They now have an immediate opportunity to respond to last weekend’s setback, this time with home advantage.
Siwelele travel to Polokwane having beaten these same opponents 1-0 in the league last weekend. That was their first victory of the campaign and followed a 1-1 draw against Golden Arrows.
Before those results, defeats away to Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns had highlighted their difficulties on the road. Siwelele lost 3-2 against Chiefs and 3-0 against Sundowns, leaving them with four defeats from their four away league fixtures.
Head-to-Head:
The three meetings between the sides have produced 1 win apiece and 1 draw. Siwelele won 1-0 last weekend, while Polokwane claimed an away victory by the same score in August 2025.
The other encounter finished 0-0 in February, meaning just two goals have been scored across those three matches.
Odds: Polokwane City 2.25 | Draw 3.15 | Siwelele 3.40
Verdict:
Last weekend’s victory gives Siwelele something to build on, although their away record makes it difficult to back them confidently to repeat the result. Polokwane’s lengthy winless run offers equally limited encouragement for a home selection.
With neither attack convincing nor all three previous meetings producing no more than one goal, I expect chances to be limited. The draw appeals over 90 minutes, with extra time potentially needed to separate them.
Bet: Draw after 90 minutes at 3.15
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SUNDAY:
Kruger United vs AmaZulu – click here to bet
Kruger United earned a welcome 1-0 victory away to Chippa United in their latest match. It was their second win in four matches, having also beaten TS Galaxy 1-0 on the road in September.
Their home results tell a less encouraging story. Kruger have lost all four league matches on their own ground, conceding ten goals and scoring only once against Kaizer Chiefs, Durban City, Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch.
AmaZulu have built an impressive run ahead of this Cup opener, winning four consecutive matches. Their latest success was a 2-1 triumph away to Durban City, following wins over Richards Bay, Marumo Gallants and Polokwane City.
They have won six of their eight league fixtures, with their only league defeat coming against Sundowns. Their earlier MTN 8 campaign was brief but eventful, ending in a 4-3 extra-time defeat to Sekhukhune United.
Head-to-Head:
There are no previous meetings between Kruger United and AmaZulu.
Odds: Kruger United 4.00 | Draw 3.40 | AmaZulu 1.95
Verdict:
AmaZulu bring the stronger form into this fixture and have already demonstrated that they can collect results away from home. Three of their four consecutive victories came on the road, making this trip less daunting than it might otherwise appear.
Kruger’s win against Chippa deserves respect but their performances at home remain a concern. AmaZulu look better equipped to take control of the contest and I favour the visitors to settle the tie inside 90 minutes.
Bet: AmaZulu to win at 1.95
Sekhukhune United vs Richards Bay – click here to bet
Sekhukhune United have recovered well from a difficult August spell, putting together a four match unbeaten league run. Draws against TS Galaxy and Stellenbosch were followed by a 3-2 away victory over Richards Bay and a 2-1 home win against Marumo Gallants.
Their earlier Cup results were mixed. A dramatic 4-3 extra-time victory over AmaZulu took them into the MTN 8 semi-finals, where Orlando Pirates eliminated them with wins in both legs.
Richards Bay are still searching for their first competitive victory of the season after eight league matches. They have lost four consecutive games, conceding 14 goals during that sequence.
A 2-1 defeat against AmaZulu was followed by a heavy 5-1 loss away to Milford and a 3-2 loss against Sekhukhune. Their latest appearance ended in another difficult evening as Sundowns beat them 4-1.
Head-to-Head:
The last six meetings are evenly split, with 2 victories each and 2 draws. Sekhukhune won the latest encounter 3-2 in September, following two successive 1-1 draws.
Richards Bay claimed the previous Carling Knockout meeting, winning 1-0 in October 2024. However, Sekhukhune are unbeaten across the three most recent clashes.
Odds: Sekhukhune United 1.87 | Draw 3.40 | Richards Bay 4.50
Verdict:
Richards Bay have continued to find the net despite their poor results, scoring in every league match so far. Their defensive problems have repeatedly undermined those efforts and Sekhukhune have already taken advantage once this season.
The hosts arrive with improving results and should create opportunities against a defence short of confidence. I expect Sekhukhune to progress but with both teams scoring in each of their last three meetings, that market is my preferred selection.
Bet: Both teams to score – this market has not been priced up yet but I expect to get around 2.20
Note: All prices are correct at the time of writing but subject to change.
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