Race for automatic promotion decided on Sunday

The race for promotion to the DStv Premiership will go down to the wire but Richards Bay remain the firm favourites to secure a first ever top-flight season in the 2022/23 campaign.

It is only they and University of Pretoria that are in contention for top-spot in the GladAfrica Championship and automatic promotion to the elite league, with Cape Town All Stars also potentially able to finish runners-up.

The teams that finish second and third in the table go into the promotion play-offs with the side that ends 15th in the DStv Premiership. The three clubs play a round-robin competition with the winner to take their place in the top-flight for the 2022/23 campaign.

SuperSport.com looks at the various permutations in the final round of the regular season on Sunday.

RICHARDS BAY

Points: 53

Goal-Difference: +17

Goals Scored: 39

The KwaZulu-Natal side are the heavy favourites to go up automatically as they host 14th-place Cape Town Spurs, who secured their place in the second-tier for another season last weekend with a 2-2 home draw against University of Pretoria.

A win would secure the title for the home side, while a point would leave AmaTuks needing a win by three goals to overtake Richards Bay on goals scored.

Richards Bay have lost just once at home this season (W7 D6), against Black Leopards in September, but have been a little inconsistent of late, with two wins and four draws in their last six games at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium.

But Spurs have been pretty awful on the road with two wins this campaign (D6 L6). Their last success was a surprise 3-2 win at JDR Stars in March.

UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

Points: 51

Goal-Difference: +14

Goals Scored: 40

AmaTuks will be rueing their away draw at Spurs last weekend, where they led 2-1 in the game but could not close it out.

They host Hungry Lions and will expect a win against a team placed 12th in the league who have won only twice away this season (D6 L6). That being said, Lions have been fairly miserly at the back with only 27 goals conceded in 29 games.

AmaTuks need a win and to hope Richards Bay somehow slip-up. If the latter are held to a 1-1 or 2-2 draw, Tuks would need a 3-0 or 4-1 victory that would leave the teams level on points and goal-difference.

Top spot would then be determined by goals scored, where AmaTuks hold the slight edge.

The Pretoria-based side are seeking a return to the top-flight for the first time since their relegation in the 2015-16 season, though not many people thought it would be this year as they have a young squad, but one packed with talent.

CAPE TOWN ALL STARS

Points: 48

Goal-Difference: +12

Goals Scored: 37

All Stars cannot win automatic promotion and are assured of a place in the play-offs, with the only thing to be decided being whether they finish second or third.

That will affect their fixtures in the playoffs, so does hold some weight, and would also give them good momentum going into the post-season competition.

They host JDR Stars in their final fixture and with the second best home record (29 points) behind only AmaTuks (31) this season, will expect a win.

They must get that victory and then hope AmaTuks lose, but would then still need a swing on goal-difference. For example, if they win by one goal and AmaTuks lose by one, the latter would still be ahead on goals scored, unless All Stars can score three or more.

All Stars therefore likely need either their win or AmaTuks loss to be greater than a single goal.