Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso admits the sound of not winning is a deafening silence as he targets an immediate response against Richards Bay at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday, April 26.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).
CURRENT FORM:
The Brazilians were looking to reclaim top spot in the Betway Premiership when Stellenbosch visited Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday, April 22, but they were held to a 1-1 draw.
It was the first time that Bafana Ba Style had dropped points in 2026 and their 10-match winning streak came to an end, although they are still unbeaten in 15 outings since losing 1-0 to Golden Arrows on September 24.
Masandawana trail Orlando Pirates by one point with a game in hand and they will be looking for Kaizer Chiefs to do them a favour on Saturday, April 24 by winning the Soweto derby.
The Natal Rich Boyz have given themselves some breathing space from the relegation zone after picking up seven points from their last three league encounters.
Papi Zothwane and Ronnie Gabriel's side snapped a three-match losing streak with a 2-1 success against Stellies and they drew 1-1 against the Buccaneers before edging TS Galaxy 1-0 most recently on April 19.
The KZN outfit occupy 10th position, 10 points clear of Magesi (14th) and Marumo Gallants (15th), while MTN 8 qualification is still a possibility as they are only four points off Arrows (8th).
However, their record against Sundowns does not make for good reading as Richards Bay have lost all seven of their previous meetings in the top flight, including a 4-1 defeat in the reverse fixture on September 27.
WHAT WAS SAID:
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso
"Pain is when you don't win. Now we have to go to the next one to create joy out of the victory that will also not be easy. But we have to do it in Richards Bay, that's it.
"Until then, there will be a lot of silence. That sound of not winning is silence. For sure there will be a lot of that noise because we want to win every game.
"We have that intention, but we need to deal with that responsibility. There is still a lot to play [for]. We just need to worry about the next match now."
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Richards Bay - Moses Mthembu: has been the team's most prolific player in the absence of Gabadinho Mhango, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with an Achilles injury. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder is the joint-top scorer alongside Mhango with four goals thanks to his winner against the Maroons earlier this month and he also has one assist to his name.
Mamelodi Sundowns - Arthur Sales: was the standout player against Stellenbosch, setting up Tsiki Ntsabeleng to open the scoring with a delightful first-time pass into the box to register his fifth assist of the campaign. The Brazilian winger had opportunities himself to add to his tally of three goals, but flashed a shot over the crossbar early in the second half before missing the target again on 68 minutes.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: (Last five Betway Premiership matches)
Richards Bay wins - 0
Sundowns wins - 5
Draws - 0