George Lebese of Mamelodi Sundowns challenged by Jacky Motshegwa and Victor Letsoalo of Bloemfontein Celtic during the Absa Premiership 2017/18 football match between Bloemfontein Celtic and Mamelodi Sundowns at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium, Bloemfontein on 12 May 2018 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
George Lebese has tipped his former team Mamelodi Sundowns to pip Orlando Pirates to the 2025/26 Betway Premiership title
Pirates remain firmly in the race, sitting just two points behind Sundowns following a commanding 2-0 win over Stellenbosch FC at Athlone Stadium on Tuesday night.
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Attention now shifts to Loftus Versfeld, where Sundowns will host arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs in a crucial Premiership encounter on Wednesday evening.
The Brazilians are on course to secure a record-extending ninth league crown if they win their remaining three matches.
With Pirates applying pressure, Sundowns are aware that any slip-up could prove costly. Speaking on Game On with Thabiso Mosia on Radio R2000, Lebese shared his thoughts on the closely fought title battle.
“Experience tells me that the owners of the league will retain it again but Pirates are having a good run at the moment,” he said.
“We have seen some incredible scores of five and six goals but my experience tells me that Sundowns will wrap this up.”
Following their clash with Chiefs, Sundowns will round off their domestic campaign against Siwelele FC and TS Galaxy.
Their fixture against Galaxy comes in between the two-legged tie of their CAF Champions League final against AS FAR.
“One good thing the technical team at Sundowns have done is that every time they refresh their squad for a new season, they still retain experienced campaigners,” Lebese added.
“They really know how to win and they are serial winners. I remember at some point a coach said that Sundowns are a points machine and they don’t lose.
“That’s exactly what the guys know and they instill this mentality into the new guys coming in each and every season.
“There are guys that know how to win it and there’s experience there, so it favours them and to be honest, it’s theirs to lose.”
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Lebese is a three-time league champion, having won two titles with Chiefs before going on to lift the league trophy with Sundowns later in his career.
