Here are the talking points from selected matches.
Pirates aim to stay top
Table-toppers Orlando Pirates travel to Polokwane City on Wednesday looking to hold on to the slimmest of leads. They are level with second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns on 41 points, but their +22 goal difference is better than The Brazilians’ +21 by a single goal.
It means they could lose top spot even with a victory, but three points will be the primary aim and The Buccaneers can worry about goal difference after that.
Buoyed by their excellent 3-0 Soweto Derby win over Kaizer Chiefs at the weekend, Pirates head into this clash in Polokwane with confidence, though the latter also ended a four-game winless run with a victory at bottom side Magesi FC.
Pirates have won their last five meetings with Polokwane and have lost only once in 22 clashes (W13 D8), a league defeat in Limpopo in 2014. In fact, Polokwane have not scored in any of their last five encounters.
Sundowns sharpen for Arrows
Sundowns host their former coach Manqoba Mngqithi and his Lamontville Golden Arrows side on Wednesday, having already lost to Abafana Bes’thende earlier in the campaign.
That remains Sundowns’ only defeat in the Betway Premiership this season, so there will be a sense of revenge in the air.
Sundowns have won their last five league games in a row, form that has seen them reel in Pirates at the top of the table. They are the league’s top scorers with 30 goals, and the return to form of Iqraam Rayners at the weekend, along with the appearance of Monnapule Saleng off the bench, only adds to that potency.
Only the bottom three have conceded more goals than Arrows (22) this season, so it could be a long evening for their defence. That said, they have kept clean sheets in their last two matches, including the 1-0 win over Sundowns in September.
Trying to get back on track
Kaizer Chiefs’ once-promising season has derailed in recent weeks, with exits from the CAF Confederation Cup and Nedbank Cup, and their title hopes fading.
They must now focus on finishing third to qualify for the Confederation Cup again next season, but their weekend Soweto Derby loss has seen them drop to fifth.
They are only two points off third place with two games in hand, so it is very much within reach. However, having lost four of their last five matches, they now face a tricky trip to Richards Bay.
The KwaZulu-Natal side do not lose often at home, just twice in nine games this term, and are themselves eager for points to create some breathing room above the bottom two.
Away wins in this fixture have been rare, with just one in the last seven meetings, achieved by Chiefs in 2023. There have been eight clashes in total, five won by Chiefs and three by the KZN club. There has never been a draw, which is unusual given both sides’ tendency to share the spoils.
Battle for Africa
It is third versus fourth as Sekhukhune United travel to Durban City in the race for a Confederation Cup place.
Just one point separates the teams, and City, who have experienced upheaval in the coaching dugout this season, will move above their opponents with a win, a week after parting ways with technical director Ernst Middendorp.
Given the managerial changes this campaign, one might think they were in a relegation battle, yet the club continues to produce results and are into the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup.
Sekhukhune were beaten 3-1 by Sundowns on Sunday, ending a four-game winning run in which they had not conceded.
City have also gone four matches without conceding, including two 0-0 draws in the Nedbank Cup that they won on penalties. Both sides are defensively solid.
City have the third-best home record this season (W6 D1 L2), while Sekhukhune boast the third-best away record (W5 D1 L3).
Gallants in dire straits
Chippa United host Marumo Gallants in a clash between two teams sitting just outside the relegation zone.
Chippa have pulled away in recent weeks, taking 10 points from a possible 12, but Gallants are in freefall and sit just above 15th-placed Orbit College on goal difference.
Young French coach Alexandre Lafitte has so far survived the axe, but their form cannot continue, with seven defeats in a row in all competitions. That is simply not sustainable.
To be fair, five of those losses were by 1-0 margins, so they have not been heavily beaten, but they have also failed to score during that run. Their last goal came in November in a 1-1 draw with Magesi FC.
In league matches only, they have lost seven of their last nine (D2) and last tasted victory against Chippa in mid-October. That remains their only win in 17 league games (D6 L10).
Chippa have not conceded at home in four matches since November and may now be starting to think about a top-eight finish rather than relegation.