The highly-anticipated new league season kicks off on September 14th and 15th, featuring the top-flight 16 teams in South Africa vying for the coveted championship title.
This follows the recent launch of the league’s new sponsor, Betway, in Sandton, where all 16 coaches were present.
As reigning champions, Sundowns will once again be the team to beat, aiming to defend their title for the seventh consecutive year.
Despite the Capetonians being one of the good teams in the league currently, Mngqithi says the Stellies cannot compete for the league simply because they have squad depth.
In the current transfer window, the Cape Winelands side lost four key players. These include Deano van Rooyen, Antonio van Wyk, Iqraam Rayners and Anicet Oura.
The Sundowns coach believes Orlando Pirates will again be title contenders if they manage to win matches against the ‘so-called’ small teams in the league.
“I don’t think they [Stellenbosch] got enough depth to sustain themselves throughout the season. Pirates have got depth and quality,” said Mngqithi.
“They [Pirates] will be a team that gives us a challenge this season. But they have a tendency to lose against small teams. The league is won by winning these small games, even if they can beat you, but when you beat other small teams, you can win the league.”
However, the defending champions will have their work cut out for them this season after a difficult start. Their scoring woes have been evident, highlighted by their solitary goal, an own goal against Polokwane City FC in the MTN8. They were also knocked out of the MTN8 semi-finals failing to score in both legs.
