Newest Betway Premiership club set to be confirmed on Saturday as stalwarts face relegation

Kruger United need one more win to seal promotion to the Betway Premiership
Kruger United need one more win to seal promotion to the Betway PremiershipKruger United

The newest club in the Betway Premiership is likely to be confirmed on Saturday when Kruger United face relegation-threatened Black Leopards in a Motsepe Foundation Championship clash.

Victory will secure automatic promotion for Kruger, who hold an eight-point advantage at the top of the table with three rounds left to play.

Only two clubs, Milford FC and Hungry Lions, could mathematically catch them, and they play each other on the final day of the season.

But it would require one of them to win all three remaining games and Kruger to get no more than a point from their last three. It is pretty much inconceivable, especially as Kruger have won their last five games in a row.

Learn more about Kruger United and their squad HERE

If their promotion is confirmed, it would all but relegate former top-flight side Leopards, who would join fellow Limpopo club Baroka in dropping to the ABC Motsepe League.

It would be a sad demise for both, who have spent many years in the top flight of South African football.

Leopards are six points from safety with three rounds to play and, while not done yet, another defeat would make life very difficult.

Motsepe Foundation Championship standings
Motsepe Foundation Championship standingsFlashscore

Once Kruger’s promotion is confirmed, attention will turn to the two play-off places for the teams who finish second and third. They will face the 15th-placed side in the Betway Premiership in a mini-league for the right to feature in the top flight next season.

At the moment, those places are filled by Milford (47 points, +13 goal difference) and Hungry Lions (47, +12), but just behind them are Casric Stars (46, +15), who have played 28 games and have two left, and Cape Town City (45, +15).

City had looked primed for automatic promotion but have taken just two points from their last three games and slipped out of contention.

With two home games next up against Gomora United and hapless Baroka, they will want to secure a play-off spot. They go to Leicesterford City on the final day.

Kruger United's last 10 results
Kruger United's last 10 resultsFlashscore

Milford also have two home games against The Bees and University of Pretoria, before that final-day showdown with Hungry Lions in Upington.

Lions have a local derby against Upington City this weekend and also go to Highbury.

Given the fixtures, the likely two to emerge will be Milford and Cape Town City.

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