Matchday 24
COMPETITIONS
Matchday 25
The Absa Premiership hits the home straight this weekend when most of the top-flight clubs begin the non-stop final five weeks of action.
Unlike the title race, which appears to be just between two clubs, the battle at the bottom is as close as ever with at least six clubs facing an uncertain future.
PSL.co.za assesses their season run-ins, taking into consideration their form, fixtures and pedigree.
AmaZulu (points 17, games played 23, current position 16th)
Remaining fixtures: Free State Stars (h)
Kaizer Chiefs (a)
Polokwane City (h)
Platinum Stars (h)
SuperSport United (h)
University of Pretoria (a)
Maritzburg United (h)
Usuthu may be last on the table, but they are undoubtedly the form team amongst the bottom six. To put things into perspective, they have managed eight points out of their last available 12, which equates to two victories and two draws from their last four matches. Platinum Stars aside, the other four clubs have managed just two wins between them in that period.
The Durban side have clearly turned things around, reducing what was a 10-point gap at one stage of the season, to just five with a game in hand over most of those in the danger zone.
This is thanks largely to November-appointed coach Steve Barker, his January recruitment drive and the reaction from his players. Their never-say-die attitude has given them wins over SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits on top of earning fighting draws at Chippa United and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
Heading into the final passage of 2014/15, Usuthu have the advantage of five home games out of their final seven. Two of those are against fellow bottom-six clubs and Barker will be confident of completing a miracle recovery.
Moroka Swallows (points 22, games played 24, current position 15th)
Remaining fixtures: Chippa United (a)
SuperSport United (a)
University of Pretoria (a)
Maritzburg United (h)
Ajax Cape Town (a)
Bloemfontein Celtic (h)
Amongst four of the bottom six to have changed coaches in recent weeks, the Birds are a club under huge pressure. It has proved to be a difficult campaign all-round for the Soweto side, despite starting out with successive wins from their opening two fixtures.
They have since lost 14 out of 22 matches to land up in their current predicament. Zeca Marques was the coach at the start of the campaign, before his assistant Fani Madida took over. But their recent rough patch - six losses in seven games since the turn of the year - lead to his departure.
Last week ex-AmaZulu boss Craig Rosslee was installed as the new coach and faces the unenviable task of having to dramatically turn their fortunes.
Relegation fighting is not too familiar for Swallows and with six games to go, they are looking like the most vulnerable side in AmaZulu's eyes. Four of their last six games are on the road, although they only play one of the bottom six during that set of games, a vital trip to Chippa United this weekend.
Free State Stars (points 22, games played 23, current position 14th)
Remaining fixtures: AmaZulu (a)
Ajax Cape Town (h)
Polokwane City (a)
Bidvest Wits (h)
Chippa United (h)
Bloemfontein Celtic (a)
Mpumalanga Black Aces (h)
Without a win this year, Ea Lla Koto are the joint worst side in terms of form compared to the six teams. The Free Staters last won in the final match before Christmas when they beat Platinum Stars in Bethlehem.
It has not all been bad, though, for Kinnah Phiri's men They started the year promisingly with four consecutive draws, two of which were against title contenders Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits, before enduring a forgettable March when they lost to Mamelodi Sundowns and relegation rivals Moroka Swallows.
That last loss especially appears to have knocked the stuffing out of them, but the international break would have been a good chance to recharge.
They face a crunch six-pointer against Usuthu in Durban on Saturday and after that have four out of their last six games at home in the Free State - a tough place to go for teams. And they will be banking on home advantage to pull them though. Another advantage for Stars is they do know the terrain. Last season they miraculously avoided relegation on the final day of the campaign.
Platinum Stars (points 24, games played 22, current position 13th)
Remaining fixtures: Mamelodi Sundowns (h)
Ajax Cape Town (h)
Orlando Pirates (a)
SuperSport United (h)
Mamelodi Sundowns (a)
AmaZulu (a)
Polokwane City (h)
Bidvest Wits (a)
Dikwena took a massive step towards safety when they won back-to-back games against Swallows and University of Pretoria within the space of four days in early March.
They are also the club with the most remaining games amongst the bottom six. They have eight in total, including two against title hopefuls Mamelodi Sundowns as well as difficult trips to Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits, both sides with outside hopes of catching Kaizer Chiefs in the championship race. Their only game against a relegation rival is an April 29 match-up with AmaZulu.
The Rustenburg side also changed coaches during the international break when they re-united with their most successful coach in their history, Cavin Johnson, who had left for SuperSport United in 2013.
His return could be the spark they need as he does have the advantage of knowing the club inside out. The Platinum club also has a squad rich in talent and will fancy themselves strongly to get out of the mess they find themselves in.
Chippa United (points 25, games played 24, current position 12th)
Remaining fixtures: Moroka Swallows (h)
Bidvest Wits (a)
Bloemfontein Celtic (h)
Free State Stars (a)
Mpumalanga Black Aces (a)
Kaizer Chiefs (h)
Just like Free State Stars, the Chilli Boys have managed just two points from their last two games. In the bigger picture, they are in the worst form of all the teams in the relegation battle.
Their last win came way back in November last year and what had started out as a promising season has turned out to be a nightmare for owner Siviwe Mpengesi. Their plan to relocate from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth was always going to be a risk, but the strong first half of 2014/15 suggested that they would have enough to consolidate their top-flight status.
Mpengesi opted to change coaches over the New Year period, replacing Roger Sikhakhane with Ernst Middendorp and that appears to have backfired. The German failed to win a game in his near-three months in charge, leading to his suspension this week.
Technical director Mich D’Avray is now in charge and he faces a tough task to lift a struggling squad. Their final run is not all that promising too, with three of their remaining six games against one of their relegation rivals. They must also host Kaizer Chiefs and play Bidvest Wits in the final month.
Mpumalanga Black Aces (points 26, games played 24, current position 11th)
Remaining fixtures: Mamelodi Sundowns (h)
Maritzburg United (h)
Polokwane City (a)
Bidvest Wits (a)
Chippa United (h)
Free State Stars (a)
The best placed club amongst the bottom six, AmaZayoni might be forgiven for still dreaming of the top eight, which is only four points away. But they can easily be sucked into the survival battle zone too.
After being in the top eight for a substantial part of the season, they were pulled into trouble after a run of five defeats in seven outings either side of the mid-season recess. That form contributed to the redeployment of coach Clive Barker and the temporary appointment of Jacob Sakala.
They have a fairly strong run-in too, playing teams chasing top eight places as well as title hopefuls Sundowns. Amongst the six sides, they also face the toughest finish with match-ups against fellow battlers Chippa and Free State Stars.
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