Bid for Caf places enters final stretch

We have entered the final stretch of the 2021-22 DStv Premiership season and while the championship has been wrapped up by Mamelodi Sundowns, there is still much to play for.

Not least the race for Caf competition qualification in the next campaign, with two of the four spots already assigned.

Sundowns will take the first Caf Champions League place after their title victory, which ensures their opponents in this year’s Nedbank Cup final, Marumo Gallants, will appear in the Confederation Cup for the second year running.

But there is still the matter of who will finish second and take the other Champions League place, and which side will be third in the table and earn a spot in the Confederation Cup.

Royal AM

Position: Second

Games Remaining: Three

Points: 45

Royal AM have three games remaining, though just when they will play their fixture against Orlando Pirates has not been decided with the latter involved in the Confederation Cup semifinals that take place over the next few weekends.

It will have to be squeezed in somewhere, but their last assignment was an away loss to Maritzburg United on Wednesday which dented their ambitions. That was never an easy game as Royal AM looked to bounce back from the disappointment of their Nedbank Cup loss to Sundowns at the weekend.

Champions League qualification remains in their hands, win their next three games and it will be theirs.

Cape Town City

Position: Third

Games Remaining: Three

Points: 45

City have sprinted up the table in recent months and are arguably the form team in the league. Only Sundowns (2) have lost fewer than their four games this season and they are incredibly hard to break down as both Sundowns (0-0) and Kaizer Chiefs (1-0) discovered in the last two games.

Those results will give Eric Tinkler’s side hope they can go on and achieve second place. Incidentally, Tinkler led City to third spot in their inaugural season in the elite league in 2016-17 before leaving for SuperSport United.

After a disappointing draw against struggling a Chippa United on Wednesday, next up for City is another relegation threatened side, TS Galaxy (Saturday, home), which many will see as an excellent chance for maximum points, though Galaxy will be fighting for their lives.

Kaizer Chiefs

Position: Fourth

Games Remaining: Three

Points: 42

Chiefs finally broke an unprecedented four-game losing streak with a narrow 1-0 win over Marumo Gallants to revive their hopes for a Caf place next season.

With three games remaining, they are only three points behind second-placed Royal AM who dropped points, meaning Amakhosi can dream again. They had two games in hand on their rivals but this past week lost both to Lamontville Golden Arrows and Cape Town City, each by 2-1 scorelines losing some ground in their battle for second spot.

Next up is a tricky contest against champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Amakhosi will look to spoil the party at the weekend.

Orlando Pirates

Position: Fifth

Games Remaining: three

Points: 40

Pirates’ loss to Galaxy on Monday was a hammer blow to their top-three chances and means they have now taken only two points from the last nine available.

They likely have to win all three remaining games and hope others slip up, which seems unlikely given both their recent form and that of others.

They also have the distraction of the Confederation Cup semifinals, and potential final.

Given that they have only won nine of their 27 league matches to date this campaign, it is hard to see them turning that form around. They may even need to start rather worrying about securing a top-eight place.

Stellenbosch FC

Position: Sixth

Games Remaining: Three

Points: 40

Stellenbosch continued their tough run-in to the remainder of the season when they played to a goalless draw against SuperSport United on Tuesday, after which they take on Maritzburg United (home), Mamelodi Sundowns (away) and Cape Town City (home).

Their recent form has been good, but they will have to play out of their skins to get into the top three, and hope others around them drop points.

They have it in their hands to a certain extent, with that game against City, who will be after revenge after a humiliating 3-0 loss in the Western Cape Derby earlier this campaign.