The 2024/25 Vodacom Premier League (VPL) season is nearing its conclusion, with just two matchdays remaining for each team.
These final matches will determine the top four finishers, the teams relegated, and the eventual league champions.
The dominant Lioli still need a single point from their last two games to defend the title.
Title Race
Lioli’s 2-0 victory over LMPS on Sunday has put them on the brink of the championship. They now require just one point to seal the title.
The defending champions lead the table with 67 points, six clear of second-placed Matlama on 61 points.
A draw in their remaining fixtures would take their tally to 68 points, out of reach of Matlama’s maximum potential tally of 67 points.
While it appears Lioli coach, Motheo Mohapi, is on the verge of guiding Lioli to back-to-back titles, he cautions that the race is not yet over.
Mohapi has said that the team must fight for maximum points in their final matches against LCS and Limkokwing University.
“The league is not yet ours, our fate will be decided in the last game,” Mohapi said after the LMPS win.
“We need maximum points in the remaining matches. Last season, we won the league with 68 points, so if we are to win it this year, we must exceed last year’s margin, in that way we would say there is improvement.”
Matlama
After a five-game winless streak, Matlama returned to their winning ways on Saturday, defeating Limkokwing 2-0 under new interim coach, Dlomo Monapathi.
Monapathi said the team’s focus was to motivate the players and remind them of their ability to fight for the league title until the final game.
“We realized our players were somewhat demoralized by the recent string of poor results,” Monapathi said after the win over Limkokwing University.
“We sat down and talked to the players to help them regain their motivation. For us, the league is not over until we’ve played the last game, so we will push for three points in every remaining match and see where that leaves us at the end of the race.”
Monapathi was appointed on an interim basis last week, after Matlama’s head coach, Halemakale Mahlaha, was suspended for the remainder of the season following the team’s recent poor performances.
Title Race and Top Four Finish
While the title race remains the primary focus, attention is also centred on the battle for a top-four finish. Lioli, Matlama, and Bantu have already secured their positions in the top four.
LDF, currently in fourth place with 56 points, will need to win their remaining two games to maintain their position. However, their hold on the fourth spot is tenuous, as fifth-placed LCS (53 points) will leapfrog the LDF if the latter slip up. If LDF lose their final two matches, LCS will need to win one and draw one to claim the fourth position.
Top Eight Race
The top eight positions have already been confirmed, except for the eighth-placed Lifofane, who are still at risk of being displaced. Lifofane, with 39 points, are facing intense pressure from ninth-placed Linare (37 points) and tenth-placed Majantja (35 points), both of whom are still in contention for a top eight finish.
Linare and Majantja will be hoping to collect maximum points in their remaining games and hope that Lifofane falter in their final two matches.
Relegation Battle
At the bottom of the table, the three clubs– Liphakoe, ACE Maseru, and league newbies Mzamane – are in deep trouble. Mzamane, with just 11 points, face an almost insurmountable task to avoid relegation.
It is a matter of which of the other two, Liphakoe or ACE Maseru, will join them in the A Division League. Liphakoe and ACE Maseru are tied on 15 points each, and they are set to face each other on Saturday.
The winner of that clash will significantly boost their chances of avoiding relegation.