Johannesburg - The PSL resumes on Tuesday after a lengthy break following the Christmas recess and the Africa Cup of Nations that ends on Sunday night.
The clubs at the bottom, from 12th-placed Bloemfontein Celtic to Baroka FC in 16th place, used the break to re-group and bolster their squads during the transfer window for what should be a hectic five months from now until June as they fight for survival.
Just three points separate Phunya Sele Sele from Bakgaga, which should make the final stretch of the league race exciting at both ends as just one point separates first-placed SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs in fourth position.
What will be key for the teams fighting for the championship will be how they juggle their other commitments.
There is the Nedbank Cup and continental football for Matsatsantsa a Pitori, Wits and Mamelodi Sundowns. Dikwena will join the trio but their precarious position on the log means they will use the CAF Confederation Cup for budding talent rather than challenging for honours.
The Brazilians will want to challenge for everything, starting with the CAF Super Cup against TP Mazembe later this month.
That will be followed by the Brazilians starting their campaign to retain the CAF Champions League while also playing catch-up in the league.
Sibusiso Vilakazi is relishing that challenge. The midfielder spent the first half of the season adjusting to life at Sundowns while he was cup-tied in the Champions League. He could only watch from the sidelines as his teammates conquered the continent.
“It’s going to be a busy period but we have a good squad to juggle the demands,” Vilakazi said. “We have a lot of quality players who can handle the hectic schedule. For us, this is an interesting phase because such challenges excite us.
“We have worked hard for what will come. Watching from the sidelines, the only thing I could do was support the team. It was important for me to support them. It made me feel good that at least I am doing something. But now I will be involved in the action.”
The Brazilians, who are five games behind Matsatsantsa, need just two wins to join the leading pack. After a slow start, Sundowns found their rhythm towards the end of the year - losing the Champions League hangover that saw them stutter at first. The club was in Tanzania last week in the final phase of their preparations after spending the bulk of their pre-season in Rustenburg.
Amakhosi spent their pre-season in Potchefstroom. The break came at a bad time for them, just as they were picking up momentum.
Chiefs’ biggest challenge in the months ahead will be how they handle the demands from their fans as the club is starring at back-to-back barren
seasons, something that has never happened in their history. They have a lesser workload than their league rivals - Sundowns, Wits and SuperSport who have continental responsibilities.