The start of the Carling Knockout will come with a sense of anxiety due to matters relating to the CAF inter-club competitions, featuring three PSL clubs.
Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns are in the CAF Champions League group stage, while Stellenbosch FC will be involved in the same stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.
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Bucs have a long trip to the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers for their Group C opener against CR Belouizdad on November 26-27.
This means if they get to the final of the Carling Knockout, with the clash scheduled for November 30, it will create headaches.
All travel to Algeria involves connecting flights and takes 17 hours at best and can stretch to 40 hours at worst.
A game in Algiers on Tuesday/Wednesday night will have Jose Riveiro's men only arriving on Thursday/Friday if travelling on commercial flights and without training for two days ahead of a final on Saturday.
Not appropriate preparation for a cup final.
They will then host Al Ahly on December 6-8, travel to Cote d'Ivoire to play Stade d'Abidjan (December 13-15), before consecutive home games on January 3-5 (Stade d'Abidjan) and Belouizdad (January 10-12), followed by a trip to Cairo on January 17-19 to play Al Ahly.
For Mamelodi Sundowns, it will be less stressing if they get to the Carling Knockout final as they start their campaign in Group B at home against DR Congo club AS Maniema Union on November 26-27.
The Brazilians then travel to Morocco to play AS FAR (December 6-8), host Raja Casablanca in Pretoria (December 13-15), then travel to North Africa for another date with Raja (January 3-5), then head to Congo to meet Maniema (January 10-12), before concluding at home against AS FAR (January 17-19).
However, with Stellenbosch, it is even worse in the CAF Confederation Cup as they play their Group B opening match at Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, Mali against Stade Malien on November 28.
That date falls two days before the day reserved for the Carling Knockout final.
This means should Stellies get into the final this year, then it will create another round of challenges for the league cup competition.
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Steve Barker's troops then host RS Berkane (December 8), travel to Angola to meet Clube Desportivo da Lunda (December 15), before a home match on January, then host Stade Malien on January 12, followed by the long trip to RS Berkane on January 19.
All Premiership games clashing with CAF dates will make way, including the eagerly awaited Sundowns versus Pirates match on January 11, which will now have to settle for an alternative date, likely to be in midweek.