TAB WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 28 – 30 AUGUST 2026
TAB CUSTOMERS CAN HIT IT BIG IN MEGA SOCCER 13
This month-end weekend offers TAB soccer customers yet another chance to become a multi-millionaire overnight. Saturday’s Soccer 13 has a guaranteed R22-million Jackpot pool to be shared by all-13-correct entries and that’s only part of the big-money excitement on a weekend laden with carryover and added pools.
SEVERAL EPL CLUBS HAVE MUCH TO PROVE THIS WEEKEND
There’s also tantalising football action on the menu with the second legs of the MTN8 semi-finals and the second round of games in the 2026-27 English Premier League (EPL), which delivered some stunning upsets in the first round.
The EPL action kicks off tonight with Manchester City heading south to take on Crystal Palace in London. City have hardly set the soccer world alight in their first two matches under Italian Enzo Maresca, who has the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola.
City were trounced by Arsenal in the Community Shield and were on the verge of going down 1-0 to Bournemouth last Sunday in their first league match of the new term before late goals by Guehi and Gvardiol saved the day.
City are obviously going to take time to adapt to Maresca’s tactics, but should be able to get three points against Palace, who are significantly weaker than a year ago and have a new manager in Pierre Sage, who was previously at the reins of Lens in France.
Another banker bet in tonight’s R200,000-added Soccer 10 looks to be French Ligue 1 champions PSG, who are away to Lille in their second league game of the new season. PSG were held to a 2-2 draw by Rennes in their opening match but expect more from them tonight.
SPURS AND MANCHESTER UNITED ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The other high-profile EPL matches this weekend are Spurs at home to Newcastle tomorrow and then Manchester United at home to Ipswich on Sunday.
Both clubs are in the spotlight after unexpected defeats in the first round of league games. Spurs have spent over 300-million pounds on new signings and bought in big names like Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers to prevent a recurrence of last season when they nearly relegated.
To the dismay of their fans, however, there were no visible signs of improvement last weekend, when they were trashed 3-0 by Brentford. They did look better when trouncing lower-tier Charlton in a Carabao Cup clash midweek, but tomorrow’s game will be a truer test of whether new manager Roberto De Zerbi is making headway in his quest to get Spurs back on track.
United were expected to outclass newly promoted Hull in the first round of league games, but promptly lost 2-0 which has led to several pundits questioning the wisdom of appointing Michael Carrick as head coach. Like Spurs, they have much to prove this weekend.
PIRATES LOOK SET TO ADVANCE TO MTN8 FINAL
At home Pirates are expected to beat Sekhukhune United for the third time in a week in the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final. They beat them 1-0 away last Saturday in the first leg and then 2-0 in a midweek Betway Premiership clash, when they looked much sharper than a few days earlier.
Golden Arrows host African champions Sundowns in the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final on Sunday at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban.
Sundowns have to recover from a 1-0 defeat at home in the first leg last Sunday and that will not be easy against a team which has not conceded a goal in six matches in all competitions this season.
But Sundowns looked really good when beating AmaZulu 5-2 midweek and have the firepower to put Arrows to the sword.
BANKER BETS FOR THE BONANZA SOCCER 13
The chief focus for many football fans this weekend will be Saturday’s mammoth Soccer 10 and here we make Spurs, Bournemouth and Coventry banker bets to win at home in the three EPL games in the pool.
The Championship clashes are more difficult but Charlton have won both league games this season and were not disgraced when beaten 5-1 by Spurs in the League Cup. They will find Preston North End significantly easier prey than Spurs and should bank three more points.
MATCH PREVIEWS OF R200,000-ADDED SOCCER 10 POOLS
Fri 28 Aug – S10 V1
M1 Racing Santander vs Elche: Bumper R200,000-added Soccer 10 to get the weekend off to a great start. LaLiga clash and both sides have one point from two league games this season. Santander won last meeting with Elche 2-0 in LaLiga 2 last year.
M2 Nancy vs Dunkerque: France Ligue 2. Nancy have lost all three games this season, while Dunkerque have registered a win and a draw in their three matches.
M3 Galway United vs Shelbourne: Irish Premier Division. Galway unbeaten in last six games and Shelbourne winless in last five. Last meeting ended 1-1. Shelbourne fifth on log with 34 points, one more than Galway, after 26 and 27 games respectively.
M4 Genk vs SK Beveren: Genk have won four of last eight games and Beveren six of last 10. Genk have won nine of the last 15 clashes between the two with six draws.
M5 Lille vs Paris Saint-Germain: French Ligue 1. Lille unbeaten in last three games and reigning champs PSG have avoided defeat in seven of last 10. PSG won last meeting 3-0 back in January.
M6 Drogheda United vs Dundalk: Drogheda winless in eight of last 10, while Dundalk have won five of last 10. Dundalk fourth in Irish Premier League with 37 points, nine more than ninth-placed Drogheda who did win the last meeting between them 2-1 away.
M7 Tenerife vs Sporting Gijon: LaLiga2. Tenerife have won both games this season while Gijon have a win and a draw. Tenerife won last meeting 3-1 away in April last year, their sixth win to Gijon’s five in 15 meetings over eight years.
M8 Crystal Palace vs Manchester City: Palace went down 2-0 to Everton in their first English Premier League game of the season, while City scored a last-gasp 2-1 success over Bournemouth. City’s class set to carry them through here.
M9 Wrexham vs Birmingham City: English Championship. Wrexham winless in last five games and Birmingham unbeaten in last 10. Birmingham won last meeting 2-0.
M10 Deportivo Alaves vs Villarreal: Alaves unbeaten in last six games and have a win and a draw from two LaLiga matches this season. Villarreal unbeaten in last four and have drawn their opening two games.
Sun 30 Aug – S10 V2
M1 Golden Arrows vs Mamelodi Sundowns: Big money to be won in this R200,000-added Soccer 10. MTN8 semi-final second leg opens the pool. Arrows, unbeaten in last 10 games, won the first leg 1-0 away last weekend. That was Sundowns’ first defeat in eight games and they will go all out to avenge that loss.
M2 Chelsea vs Brighton: Chelsea beat Fulham 3-2 in their first EPL match of the season on Monday night, but Brighton were even more impressive in destroying Aston Villa 4-0 in their first game.
M3 Leeds United vs Brentford: Both kicked off the new season with victories and Leeds are now unbeaten in their last eight games, and Brentford in their last six. Last meeting ended 0-0 in March.
M4 Paris FC vs Nice: French Ligue 1. Both are winless in their last four games, but Paris won last meeting between them 1-0 in March.
M5 Sunderland vs Fulham: Sunderland had a good first season back in the EPL in 2025-26, but went down 2-1 to newly promoted Ipswich in their first game of the new term. Fulham also lost their opener, going down 3-2 to Chelsea, but went on to beat League One outfit Wimbledon in a League Cup clash on Thursday.
M6 Freiburg vs Werder Bremen: Bundesliga first round. Freiburg are on a three-game winning streak and Bremen have won three of last four. Freiburg won last meeting 1-0 in February.
M7 Mansfield Town vs Luton Town: England League One. Luton have won six of their last 10 games and have a win and a draw from their first two league matches this season. Mansfield won first game but lost subsequently.
M8 Dundee FC vs Hibernian: Scottish Premiership. Dundee have won five of last nine games and Hibernian are unbeaten in last five. Last meeting ended 3-3 in February.
M9 Augsburg vs Schalke 04: Schalke have won seven of last 10 games and Augsburg six of last 10. First Bundesliga game of season for both.
M10 Manchester United vs Ipswich Town: United beaten 2-0 by Hull in their first game this season and will go all out here to put that loss behind them. Ipswich beat Sunderland 2-1 in their first league game of the season.