Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has admitted that his team is “not at their best” heading into their opening Betway Premiership clash against TS Galaxy, set for 11 August 2026 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. Kick-off is at 7:30pm.
Form and team news
Galaxy opened their Betway Premiership campaign with a 2-2 draw away to Siwelele FC on Sunday 2 August. The Rockets twice fought back from being a goal down to secure a share of the spoils, thanks to goals from Victor Letsoalo (penalty) and Veluyeke Zulu.
Galaxy will hope to show a similar fighting spirit against their title-chasing opponents this midweek, but will have to do so without Sipho Maseti. The goalkeeper will be unavailable due to suspension, having been sent off late on in the match against Siwelele.
Sundowns were not in action on the opening weekend of the league season, but got their campaign underway successfully this past Saturday evening, defeating Polokwane City 3-2 after extra time in an MTN8 quarterfinal match at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Cassius Mailula struck a late winner for the Brazilians, who were taken to a full two hours by Rise and Shine despite leading 2-1 at halftime thanks to goals from Teboho Mokoena and Antonio Van Wyk.
Sundowns will be nursing a few knocks from the match – with Polokwane allowed to get away with several aggressive challenges to the likes of Teboho Mokoena and Iqraam Rayners.
What the teams are saying
TS Galaxy coach Bernard Parker:
“We didn't take much control where we needed to take control and manage the game [against Siwelele]. Also, on the other end, our aggression wasn't how we wanted it to be and how we expected the players to be proactive in winning the ball.
“We did create chances, and it is expected of us to convert those chances. If we could have just minimised a few mistakes, I think the result would have been better.”
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso:
“I think we reacted very well to the goal that we suffered. We made a beautiful first half, trying to escape from that man-to-man marking, finding the spaces to penetrate.
“I think we had chances even to score more. Obviously, suffering another goal from set pieces brings a lot of energy to the opponent and then it’s a matter of pursuit. We are still not at our best physically, it’s clear. Our pre-season was quite tough.”
Players to watch
TS Galaxy – Victor Letsoalo
Galaxy will need to take their chances against Sundowns, and striker Victor Letsoalo not only scored from the penalty spot against Siwelele in the opening round, he also converted from 12 yards in the last match between the Rockets and Sundowns at the back end of last season.
Mamelodi Sundowns – Antonio Van Wyk
The former Stellenbosch FC player had a great debut for his new club this past weekend, both scoring and providing an assists as Sundowns overcame Polokwane 3-2 in the MTN8. He will hope to carry that form into Tuesday night’s game in Nelspruit.
Head-to-head
In head-to-head stats, Galaxy and Sundowns have met in 12 league matches, dating back as far as the 2020/21 season. The Brazilians have claimed eight wins compared to three for the Rockets, while just one game has been drawn.
Each side took three points from the teams’ two league meetings last season: Sundowns won 1-0 at home in November 2025, while Galaxy won the return game 3-2 in May 2026. In between, the Rockets also defeated the Brazilians 2-0 in a Nedbank Cup tie in February 2026.