Both Ajax Cape Town and SuperSport United will be offered potentially invaluable pre-season practice in the Cape Town Cup as overseas opposition come to town this weekend.
Some six months after high-flying Bundesliga outfit VfL Wolfsburg came to town, English Premier League club Crystal Palace and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal are in Cape Town for a mini- tournament.
Palace play Matsatsantsa a Pitori today at 5.45pm, followed by Ajax's meeting with Sporting at 8.15pm in a double-header attraction.
The losers meet in Sunday's play-off followed by an afternoon final at the Cape Town Stadium.
Both European clubs are in the throes of their pre-season too and have a full compliment of players.
Roger de Sa's Urban Warriors and Matsatsantsa, who are coached by Gordon Igesund, are also using the matches to prepare for the 2015-2016 Premier Soccer League campaign that gets under way next month.
Sporting have seen Peruvian international Andre Carillo and his Colombian counterpart Teo Gutierrez, who the Portuguese have just signed from River Plate of Argentina, return from Copa America action in the last month.
Also new is coach Jorge Jesus, who stunned Portugal last month when he switched to Sporting after six seasons with their arch- rivals Benfica. Jesus had taken Benfica to their last two league championships and his shock defection has football there reeling.
Crystal Palace, who produced a strong second half of the last EnglishPremier League season after manager Alan Pardew came on board, have Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yannick Bolasie and equally nippy Wilfried Zaha among their attractions.
They will be parading new signings too, including French international Yohann Cabaye, Jordan Mutch and Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford, who only signed on Tuesday.
The game against Sporting will be a potentially emotive one for De Sa, whose late father Octavio played at Sporting.
The Ajax mentor was goalkeeper for Moroka Swallows when they lost 3-0 to Sporting in 1993 - the last time the Portu- guese club visited South A frica.
The Capetonians will bank on home crowd to see off their opponents.
Visitors hone Ajax, United
Both Ajax Cape Town and SuperSport United will be offered potentially invaluable pre-season practice in the Cape Town Cup as overseas opposition come to town this weekend.
Some six months after high-flying Bundesliga outfit VfL Wolfsburg came to town, English Premier League club Crystal Palace and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal are in Cape Town for a mini- tournament.
Palace play Matsatsantsa a Pitori today at 5.45pm, followed by Ajax's meeting with Sporting at 8.15pm in a double-header attraction.
The losers meet in Sunday's play-off followed by an afternoon final at the Cape Town Stadium.
Both European clubs are in the throes of their pre-season too and have a full compliment of players.
Roger de Sa's Urban Warriors and Matsatsantsa, who are coached by Gordon Igesund, are also using the matches to prepare for the 2015-2016 Premier Soccer League campaign that gets under way next month.
Sporting have seen Peruvian international Andre Carillo and his Colombian counterpart Teo Gutierrez, who the Portuguese have just signed from River Plate of Argentina, return from Copa America action in the last month.
Also new is coach Jorge Jesus, who stunned Portugal last month when he switched to Sporting after six seasons with their arch- rivals Benfica. Jesus had taken Benfica to their last two league championships and his shock defection has football there reeling.
Crystal Palace, who produced a strong second half of the last EnglishPremier League season after manager Alan Pardew came on board, have Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yannick Bolasie and equally nippy Wilfried Zaha among their attractions.
They will be parading new signings too, including French international Yohann Cabaye, Jordan Mutch and Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford, who only signed on Tuesday.
The game against Sporting will be a potentially emotive one for De Sa, whose late father Octavio played at Sporting.
The Ajax mentor was goalkeeper for Moroka Swallows when they lost 3-0 to Sporting in 1993 - the last time the Portu- guese club visited South A frica.
The Capetonians will bank on home crowd to see off their opponents.
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