Royal AM and Cape Town City in Fight for Second Spot, Maritzburg United and Baroka FC Look to Avoid Relegation

• Royal AM take on relegation-threatened Maritzburg United in the DStv Premiership today, looking to consolidate second spot
• Cape Town City are just a point behind Royal AM and are looking to capture second place when they take on Chippa United
• Baroka FC and Lamontville Golden Arrows both parted ways with their coaches and will be hoping for a new start with new leaders in charge

The race for second place in the DStv Premiership is heating up while the battle to avoid relegation also is a must-watch affair.

Three DStv Premiership games will be contested today, affecting either the top or the bottom of the log.

Royal AM (2) and Cape Town City (3) will be in action today, taking on two teams trying to avoid a relegation scrap. Bottom placed Baroka FC are also in action today, looking to climb out of the automatic relegation place.

Here are the games taking place today and how they could affect the final standings:

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Baroka FC vs Lamontville Golden Arrows:

Baroka and Golden Arrows meet in a must-win game for the hosts. Baroka are bottom of the table, occupying the automatic relegation spot and are five points behind Swallows FC. They are also only six points away from Maritzburg United, who are 14th and safe from the drop. However, Baroka still have four games to play, meaning that safety is very much in their own hands.

Golden Arrows occupy the ninth place and are only one point behind SuperSport United in eighth. However, Golden Arrows still have a lot to play for, with the top eight teams qualifying for the MTN 8 tournament. Both sides recently parted ways with their managers, so the game is essentially a battle of the new guard.

Chippa United vs Cape Town City

Chippa United have an uphill battle ahead of them when they welcome Eric Tinkler’s Cape Town City side. Chippa United are 12th on the table, only three points above Swallows in the relegation play-off spot. Chippa goes into the game on the back of a draw with Orlando Pirates but now faces a Cape Town City side chasing continental football next season.

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Eric Tinkler’s side are still riding a high after beating Kaizer Chiefs in their last match. Cape Town City are in third, just a point behind second-placed Royal AM. Second place in the Premier Soccer League qualifies for the CAF Champions League next season, while the third-placed team goes to the CAF Confederation Cup.

Kaizer Chiefs are just two points behind the Mother City club but have played a game more. Cape Town City have not lost a game in their last 10 fixtures, though, IOL reported.

Maritzburg United vs Royal AM

Today's pick of the fixtures is the KwaZulu-Natal Derby between Maritzburg and Shauwn Mkhize’s Royal AM side. The hosts are a point above the drop zone with four games. With Swallows FC breathing down their necks, they can’t afford to drop points.

That will be a challenge against a strong Royal AM side. MaMkhize’s are favourites to finish second and will be focusing their full attention on the DStv Premiership after being knocked out of the Nedbank Cup.

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Royal AM were beaten by Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-final, and not even a halftime pep talk by MaMkhize helped, iDiski Times reported. Royal AM knows that Cape Town City are chasing them down and won’t want to drop points to a determined relegation-threatened team.

AmaZulu remain unbeaten under Brandon Truter, beat Swallows, while Supersport United and Stellenbosch draw

AmaZulu FC remained unbeaten under Brandon Truter as they beat Swallows FC in the DStv Premiership earlier today. Usuthu have now picked up three wins and one draw with Truter in charge.

Truter was brought in to replace Benni McCarthy after AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu admitted that the club needed change. The clash between AmaZulu and Swallows saw Truter come up against his former side, Sowetan LIVE reported.

Speaking ahead of the game, Truter admitted that it was sentimental for him to play against Swallows but wanted to walk away with the three points. Truter got his wish thanks to Sphesihle Maduna’s goal in the 68th minute of the game, Soccer Laduma reported.