Johannesburg - Next year’s PSL competitors found out earlier the teams that they will be facing on the opening day of the season. The games will take place on August 11th and 12th.

The league’s general manager, Derek Blanckensee, spoke before the draw about several factors that were taken into account when planning the fixtures for the PSL.

Blanckensee explained that, on principle, two teams from the same city should not play at the same time, that the Soweto derby must be played on a weekend and that any promoted team must not face more than one of the previous season’s top three in their opening games.

Auditors, KPMG, declared that the draw was free of outside influence although the fixtures that have come up do have a similar feel about them.

The opening day will see last year’s treble champions, Orlando Pirates, take on the team that they beat in the final day of their previous campaign, Golden Arrows, while Kaizer Chiefs will face the same déjà vu as they travel to AmaZulu.

This year’s Nedbank Cup winners, SuperSport United, will travel to Cape Town to challenge Maarten Stekelenburg’s Ajax, while Mamelodi Sundowns will face one of the three teams involved in the relegation playoffs, Santos, Chippa United or Thanda Royal Zulu.

Newly-promoted University of Pretoria will begin their PSL adventure against Maritzburg United.

Each team was allocated a number between 1 and 16 and the rest of the leagues fixtures will be revealed at a later date.

Next season’s opening weekend:
 
Platinum Stars v Moroka Swallows
AmaZulu v Kaizer Chiefs
Ajax Cape Town v SuperSport United
Orlando Pirates v Golden Arrows
University of Pretoria v Maritzburg United
Mamelodi Sundowns v Play-off Winner
Black Leopards v Bloemfontein Celtic
Free State Stars v Wits