Sundowns have, on paper, arguably the tougher run-in, though three of their four games are at home, while three of Pirates’ remaining fixtures are away.
Sundowns host Polokwane City again on Sunday, Kaizer Chiefs next Wednesday and Siwelele on May 9, before a final game of the season away at TS Galaxy, which must still be confirmed as it currently clashes with the first leg of their CAF Champions League final.
Home advantage is a huge bonus, but there are some potential banana skins there, not least their clash with Chiefs next week.
So who have Pirates got left? They must still face two of the bottom three, which they will expect to be banker wins, and two more robust mid-table sides.
Here are their remaining fixtures.
Stellenbosch FC vs Orlando Pirates
Tuesday, May 5 – Athlone Stadium
A tricky away day for Pirates at Gavin Hunt’s Stellenbosch, this is perhaps the hardest of their remaining games up first.
Stellenbosch have shown their mettle recently by holding Sundowns to a draw in the league and have also been a constant thorn for Chiefs this season.
Pirates beat them 1-0 in the league at the start of the campaign and then 3-0 in the MTN8 final. Quite remarkably, six of the last seven meetings have either been at Pirates or on neutral grounds.
Pirates drew their last visit to Stellenbosch 0-0 in March 2025. Their previous visit before that was in September 2023, when they won an MTN8 semi-final first leg 2-1.
In all, Pirates have made seven visits to Stellenbosch and won only two, with two defeats and three draws.
Magesi vs Orlando Pirates
Saturday, May 9 – Peter Mokaba Stadium
Magesi FC are fighting for their survival but have shown recent signs of improvement under coach Allan Freese.
Their last two games were a 5-2 victory over Durban City and a 0-0 draw with TS Galaxy, which have lifted them out of the bottom two, albeit only on goal difference.
They will present a challenge, even if Pirates will expect to win.
Magesi stunned Pirates 3-2 in their very first meeting in the Carling Knockout in 2024, but since then there have been three Pirates wins and a draw.
Pirates won 1-0 on their only previous visit to Magesi last season.
Orlando Pirates vs Durban City
Saturday, May 16 – Orlando Stadium
Durban City are pushing for a top-eight place but have seen their form fall off a cliff in recent weeks. They have taken one point from the last 12 available since reaching the Nedbank Cup final.
With that distraction out of the way, maybe they will improve, but at home Pirates will expect to come out on top.
That said, since their 2-1 loss to Sundowns in Orlando, they have three wins and three draws at home in all competitions. That includes a shootout loss to second-tier Casric Stars in the Nedbank Cup.
Pirates won the reverse fixture with Durban City 2-0 in November.
Orbit College vs Orlando Pirates
Saturday, May 23 – Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace
It seems likely that Orbit College will still be in a relegation fight come the final day of the season, though there is a chance they may be dead and buried already.
They currently prop up the table a point from safety, though with their inferior goal difference, maybe make that two points.
No team has suffered more losses than them (16) or conceded more goals (52), while only Siwelele (15) and Marumo Gallants (18) have scored fewer. It is a nightmare mixture of stats.
Pirates only managed a 1-0 win when the teams met in Orlando earlier this season, though that was back in August and much has changed since then.
