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The battle for a top-two finish in the
DStv Premiership remains intense as four teams vie for the final CAF Champions League spot with seven games remaining in the season.
Mamelodi Sundowns are expected to retain the title and they face Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday sitting 11 points clear of the chasing pack.
However, the Brazilians have allowed Royal AM to chip away at their lead after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Maritzburg United most recently. The threat of relegation still looms for the Dube Birds after they lost 1-0 to Thwihli Thwahla last time out to hover just above the bottom-two in 14th position.
Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is dealing with their challenge for honours on three fronts by setting small milestones in an attempt to keep his players focused on the immediate task at hand.
"The truth of the matter is, when you start to focus on everything you end up not getting anything. So we need to focus on small milestones that we can always achieve in the process by making sure that we concentrate on every match that we are playing and make sure we deliver that game home," Mngqithi said.
Royal AM host Marumo Gallants at Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday looking to cut Downs' lead at the summit to single digits.
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John Maduka's side thumped TS Galaxy 4-1 on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run to six games, while Bahlabane Ba Ntwa saw a five-match undefeated streak come to an end with a 1-0 loss to Cape Town City before the international break.
Maduka is wary of the threat posed by Gallants and has stressed the importance of making home advantage count despite not having much time to prepare his players for the midweek encounter.
"It's a home game and we must try to get maximum points," he said. "It's a team that is very comfortable on the ball and very quick players with a good coach as well so we have to plan well, dig deep and try to compete with them and at the same time try to win the match."
Kaizer Chiefs will look to put pressure on Royal AM when they welcome TS Galaxy to the FNB Stadium on Tuesday.
Third-placed Amakhosi picked up their third win in four outings when they beat Chippa United 3-1 on Saturday to maintain the two-point gap to Thwihli Thwahla. The Rockets are just one point off the foot of the table in 15th spot after losing three of their last four games.
Commenting on the challenges ahead, Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter said: "We are chasing the best position we can get - that's what we are chasing. We don't know how high we can finish, but what I do know is that if we play properly and keep winning, then we will be in a good place at the end of the season."
Cape Town City are seeking a fourth win on the trot when they clash with Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Wednesday, while Orlando Pirates will be targeting back-to-back victories when they take on Sekhukhune United at Ellis Park.
The Citizens leapfrogged the Buccaneers into fourth place after crushing Baroka 5-1 on Sunday and they have a game in hand on the Soweto giants in the race for CAF Champions League football.
Elsewhere, Stellenbosch will be aiming to snap a five-match winless sequence when they lock horns with Golden Arrows at the Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday and SuperSport United entertain Chippa United at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Tuesday searching for a first win in four matches.
DStv Premiership fixtures:
Tuesday, April 5
17h30: SuperSport United v Chippa United
19h30: Kaizer Chiefs v TS Galaxy
Wednesday, April 6
17h00: Baroka v AmaZulu
17h00: Royal AM v Marumo Gallants
17h00: Golden Arrows v Stellenbosch
17h30: Sekhukhune United v Orlando Pirates
19h30: Maritzburg United v Cape Town City
19h30: Swallows v Mamelodi Sundowns
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