Sundowns will be looking to win a record extending ninth consecutive league title in South Africa and are expected to do so. Barring the 2019/20 season during which Kaizer Chiefs took the title race to the last day, Masandawana have been an unstoppable force in South Africa. However, they are not without flaws. They have only won the CAF Champions League once over the last ten years and fell in the final last season against Egyptian side Pyramids FC.
Sundowns are also beatable as they ended up losing in the MTN 8 semi-final to Orlando Pirates.
There are bound to be some twists and unexpected outcomes in the South African league this season, some of which are:
Sundowns may not be invincible this season
Sundowns have dominated the league, not because they are a world-class side but because they got the basics of the game and background correct- having an organized backroom structure, having a good recruitment strategy and having decent finances, things which many clubs in the league failed to do.
They could just win their ninth consecutive title this season but as all things come to an end, even their domination over the league will one day cease. Their players will be fatigued after having a long past season- due to their run to the final of the CAF Champions League and also due to their involvement in the Club World Cup in North America where they did not progress beyond the group stage.
Sundowns could face a threat this season from Soweto giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs who have shown that they could be onto something after winning the Nedbank Cup last season and they have made a good start to the new season. Jose Riveiro laid a solid foundation at Pirates for new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou to build upon.
Then there could be surprise packages which are part and parcel of the league.
Second place is very unpredictable
While Sundowns have dominated the league during the past decade, second place has been hard to predict. Pirates may have finished second during the past three seasons, but they did not do so convincingly. Prior to that, AmaZulu and the now second-tier side Cape Town City also finished as runners-up.
There is no easy bet on who will finish second and earn a spot in the CAF Champions League. It’s hard to predict in the South African league and something not even the pundits and proclaim with confidence before the start of the season.
Stellenbosch are safe to bet on to finish in the top eight
Stellenbosch are one of the most respected teams in the South African top-flight even though they are never expected to win trophies nor challenge for the league. One of the reasons for that is because they have built a sustainable product.
Stellies will go through hard times and are regarded as a “feeder club” as their top achievers will ultimately end up joining so-called bigger clubs. However, they do something the bulk of clubs fail to do in that they get the basics right and for this season, they are a solid pick to finish in the top eight.
Top scorer is hard to predict
The Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot award winner, given to the top scorer in the South African league and currently held by Lucas Ribeiro is very difficult to predict. Only once has someone won the award in consecutive seasons as Peter Shalulile did in 2022 and 2023. With the Namibian now well into his 30’s and a fringe player at Sundowns, he will probably never win the award again.
While it’s hard to predict who will win this award, Iqraam Rayners who is Sundowns first choice striker this season could be a contender.
Relegation will be hard to predict
Second place in the Betway Premiership is always hard to predict and so is relegation. Cape Town City were relegated last season to the surprise of many given that they developed an establish side in the top-flight and were playing in the CAF Champions League not too long ago.
SuperSport United who are one of the few remaining sides outside the Gauteng giants (Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs) to have played in the first ever top-flight season in 1996-97 also flirted with relegation last season before narrowly surviving the drop and selling their PSL status to a consortium which rebranded them into Siwelele FC.
It’s hard to predict who will go down. Newcomers Durban City have a strong chance to survive as they are led by the experienced Gavin Hunt who won four league titles before (thrice with SuperSport United, once with Bidvest Wits).
For in-depth odds analysis and expert PSL predictions, check out Sportytilt.com.
