Sebola tips Mabasa for PSL Golden Boot

Retired Orlando Pirates striker Andries Sebola has tipped Tshegofatso Mabasa to win the DStv Premiership Golden Boot, predicting we'll at least end the campaign with 15 league goals.

Pirates' Mabasa is currently on 11 league goals, neck and neck with Lucas Ribeiro of Mamelodi Sundowns on top of the scoring charts in the DStv Premiership. Last campaign's joint winner, Khanyisa Mayo of Cape Town City, is a goal behind them.

Stellenbosch's Iqraam Rayners and Bradley Grobler of SuperSport United have scored eight league goals apiece, also having outside chances of winning the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot. Mayo and Sundowns' Peter Shalulile shared it last term after scoring 12 goals each.

"I strongly believe Mabasa will finish top of the scoring charts. He's on fire and Pirates' other attackers like [Relebohile] Mofokeng, [Patrick] Maswanganyi and [Kabelo] Dlamini are also in a good space, meaning he's playing with freedom and without pressure,'' Sebola, who had a reputation of changing games off the bench in his heyday for Bucs in the late '90s, said yesterday.

"He's capable of scoring at least five goals in the remaining six league games, so I see him finishing with at least 15 goals. He can easily score a brace against Royal AM on Sunday. I think he's also pushing himself to win it."

Sebola feels injuries and Sundowns' squad rotations have derailed Ribeiro, who's in his first season in SA after joining the Brazilians from Belgian second-tier side SK Beveren at the start of the season. The Brazilian was rested in Sundowns' 2-1 win over Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday as the second leg of the CAF Champions League semifinals against Esperance on Friday at the same venue looms large.

"Ribeiro hasn't played many games [he's played 15 in the league so far] because of injuries and rotations, so that put him on the back foot a bit. I won't be surprised if he goes on to miss more games and that will give Mabasa an advantage again to win the Golden Boot,'' Sebola said. 

Should Ribeiro end up winning this season's Golden Boot, he'd be the first player from outside the African continent to do so in the PSL era.

Race for Golden Boot

Mabasa (Pirates) - 11 goals

Ribeiro (Sundowns) - 11

Mayo (CPT City) - 10

Rayners (Stellenbosch) - 8

Grobler (SuperSport) - 8

Chibuike Ohizu (Sekhukhune) - 7

Samir Nurkovic (Galaxy) - 7