Sundowns travel to second-bottom Orbit College FC on Tuesday, while Pirates are at home to ninth-placed Richards Bay FC in what could be a tricky fixture.
Pirates head the table on goal difference (+23) from Sundowns (+22), with both sides on 44 points. In a title race that could go down to the wire, goal difference is something to watch and every missed chance could count come the end of the campaign.
These are the only two games in midweek and will be the 20th matches of the campaign for both sides as they reach the two-thirds point of the season.
Here is a closer look at the talking points around the two fixtures.
Orbit College vs Mamelodi Sundowns
The match has been moved from the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace to the more cosy Olympia Stadium and had been scheduled for the coming weekend, but Sundowns have a home CAF Champions League quarter-final against Stade Malien on Friday.
This game therefore comes as a huge distraction, with coach Miguel Cardoso no doubt wishing he could instead focus purely on the continental challenge, which is the number one priority for the side this season.
How that influences his team selection and whether we might see some fringe players introduced remains to be seen, but it is likely he will hold some players back for the weekend.
Orbit College are coming off a surprise 2-1 win at TS Galaxy last time out, their first victory since the start of November, ending a run of nine games without success (D2 L7).
They have not managed a goal in any of their last three home games (D1 L2) and have taken 11 points from a possible 30 (W3 D2 L5) on their own patch this season.
Sundowns have had four draws on the road this campaign (W5 L1), three of which were at Chippa United, Marumo Gallants and Siwelele FC, games they would have expected to win. They can ill afford another slip-up.
The only previous meeting between the sides was a 2-0 home win for The Brazilians in January thanks to goals from Arthur Sales and Brayan León.
Sundowns are chasing a seventh successive league win, something they have not managed since they won 10 in a row between October 2024 and February 2025.
Orlando Pirates vs Richards Bay
Pirates hit a bit of a speed wobble in February, but back-to-back league wins over Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Polokwane City look to have them back on track.
They will expect to beat Richards Bay in what is the first of two home games in four days, with the visit of Siwelele FC on Saturday, a chance for them to get ahead in the title race with Sundowns not in action at the weekend.
Pirates have won the last four against the KwaZulu-Natal side, but before that were beaten 1-0 in Orlando in May 2024. In the nine previous meetings, Pirates have five wins to go with three draws and that single defeat.
The teams have yet to meet in the league this season, but Pirates won 1-0 away in the Carling Knockout on their way to lifting that trophy.
Richards Bay have only ever managed two goals against The Buccaneers in their nine clashes, the last of those scored by Yanela Mbuthuma, who is now a Pirates player.
The Soweto club’s 2-1 loss to Sundowns in their last home league game ended a run of seven Betway Premiership wins in a row on their own patch in which they did not concede a single goal.
Richards Bay’s last away win came at Stellenbosch FC in September, and they have taken just seven points on the road this campaign (W1 D4 L4).
Pirates have the best defence in the league with only eight goals conceded in 19 games, while Richards Bay have managed only 15 goals in their 19 games and scored only four times on the road.
