Mamelodi Sundowns will begin the defence of their Absa Premiership title at home against Kaizer Chiefs according to a draft Premier Soccer League fixture list of the coming season.

The Premiership title holders then have a tough away trip to Polokwane City just four days later.

The fixtures for the 2018-19 campaign are yet to be officially released but the draft‚ provided to the 16 clubs for their comments‚ are usually only lightly tinkered with before being made public.

Sundowns must go to Polokwane City on Tuesday‚ August 7 in their second game and then take on National First Division champions Highlands Park in their third league game of the new season on Wednesday August 22.

That will be after they come back from a potentially exhausting trip to Morocco to take on holders Wydad Casablanca in the Caf Champions League.

Sundowns’ first month of league action is interspersed with Champions League obligations plus the MTN8‚ which kicks off on the second weekend in August – once all clubs have already had two league matches under the belt.

The season is scheduled to get underway on Friday August 3 with Bidvest Wits hosting Free State Stars‚ playing their first official match since lifting the Nedbank Cup‚ in Johannesburg.

Sundowns and arch foes Chiefs meet at Loftus Versfeld the next day - meaning Khama Billiat’s debut will be against his old team - while last season’s runners-up Orlando Pirates get a much easier start at home to Highlands Park.

Also‚ on Saturday‚ August 4‚ the other newly promoted club Black Leopards are at home to Polokwane City as the Thohoyandou Stadium welcomes back top flight football.

Pirates’ second game is against Chippa United in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday‚ August 8 and then they host Wits a week later.

After Sundowns‚ Chiefs play Wits at Soccer City on August 7 and then go to Baroka on August 14.

The MTN8 kicks off on August 11-12 and the first leg of the semifinals follows a fortnight later‚ spread over successive weekends.

The final will be played on Saturday‚ September 29.

The league will have a short Christmas season break with the last fixtures of the year on Saturday‚ December 23 and the first of the new year on Friday‚ January 4.

The last two rounds of league fixtures will be played‚ as is now tradition‚ simultaneously on Wednesday May 8 and Saturday May 11.