For both Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter and his Orlando Pirates counterparts Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids, victory in Saturday's Soweto derby would be huge.
While third and fourth places are respectable enough, it has been a bit of a roller-coaster season for both teams in terms of inconsistency; while there have been some decent performances, the overriding feeling is that neither team is where they should be.
Certainly, Chiefs and Pirates fans will be upset that the gap between their clubs and Mamelodi Sundowns is an ever increasing one and they are currently both 19 points behind South African football's undisputed heavyweights.
The home coaches: Davids and Ncikazi
Pirates at least won a trophy last season, even if it was the MTN8, which only takes winning three or four games.
Davids and Ncikazi took charge a couple of games into the new season, basically on an interim basis after Josef Zinnbauer's surprising exit.
The pair have done okay, but have at times also been under fire from the fans for their selections and team formations, and Ncikazi did himself no favours recently with his comments about Gabadinho Mhango.
The former Arrows coach especially is yet to win over the Pirates faithful and could do with a convincing derby win to help him along the way.
Still in contention in the Nedbank Cup and the Caf Confederation Cup at least, the Buccaneers are arguably not as desperate as Chiefs are.
The away coach: Baxter
Chiefs won the first round league encounter 2-1, though a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. In his first full season in his second spell at the club, Baxter has been criticised for his team selection, especially his preference for more solid defensive individuals over flair players.
The pressure has mounted after Chiefs crashed out of the Nedbank Cup last month to end any chance of winning a trophy this season, meaning it is now seven years since the club last won silverware.
That might not be Baxter's fault, but it adds to the situation he is dealing with.
As the country's biggest supported club, the pressure on the head coach is immense, and a derby defeat would only add to that.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
